FAMILY DIFFICULTIES IN CITIES
"It has been found in developed countries that mental health problems in children are more common among those living in inner cities than among those in towns or rural areas. It appears that this is due in large part to the higher rates of family difficulties in inner city areas. Children's psychosocial functioning can be more frequently impaired in the cities because more children live in discordant unhappy homes or have depressed or deviant parents. However, relatively little is known about the specific features of city life that have this adverse effect on family functioning. It is not urbanization per se because many medium-sized towns have rates of disorder comparable to those in rural areas; nor is it a function of population density or of industrialization, because industrial areas may have relatively low rates of psychosocial disorder. There is an urgent need to identify the features of city life that hamper family functioning and predispose to mental disorder, as knowledge on this matter carries the possibility of instituting effective preventive measures."