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Clinical Psychology and Special Education
2026. Vol. 15, no. 1, 7–19
doi:10.17759/cpse.2026150101
ISSN: 2304-0394 (online)

The impact of urban stress factors on mental health: a review of foreign studies

 
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Abstract

Context and relevance. The problem of the impact of urban stress factors on mental health is becoming increasingly relevant in the context of urbanization. Living in cities is accompanied by increased psychophysiological stress, which leads to an increase in the prevalence of mental disorders among urban residents. Objective. The purpose of the article is to review foreign studies studying the influence of stress factors of the urban environment on the formation of mental disorders such as anxiety and depressive disorders, psychotic disorders and schizophrenia. Results. The paper analyzes research on the following parameters: the types of stress factors in the urban environment and the mechanisms of their influence on the formation of mental disorders. The symptoms of stress associated with life in the city are considered, as well as statistics on the prevalence of mental disorders among urban residents. The review identified stress symptoms associated with living in a big city, including social isolation, increased anxiety, restlessness, emotional stress, and sleep disorders. The main mechanisms of the influence of urban stress on the functioning of the brain, endocrine, nervous and immune systems, as well as from the point of view of epigenetic influence are presented. The results of research on the prevalence of mental illness among urban residents are presented.

General Information

Keywords: mental health, urban stress, stress factors, depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia

Journal rubric: Theoretical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2026150101

Received 23.04.2025

Revised 17.11.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Kiyanenko, I.K. (2026). The impact of urban stress factors on mental health: a review of foreign studies. Clinical Psychology and Special Education, 15(1), 7–19. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2026150101

© Kiyanenko I.K., 2026

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Ilya K. Kiyanenko, Postgraduate Student, Postgraduate School of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, HSE University, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9334-5335, e-mail: i.kiyanenko@gmail.com

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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