Young people in coastal communities & �mental health

2nd September 2025

Dr Emily T. Murray, PhD FHEA (She/her) 

Director of the Centre for Coastal Communities and Reader,

Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing, University of Essex

Email: Emily.murray@essex.ac.uk

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Background

• CMO report: worst health and wellbeing outcomes in England
• The report showed a high prevalence of disease and health risk factors in coastal areas, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mental health, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
• Some effect likely due to coastal areas containing high proportions of older people, but CMO report showed highest prevalence where populations were relatively young.

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Mental health index in Coastal Communities

• The SAMHI is a composite annual measure of population mental health for each Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) in England.

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• All ages.

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• The SAMHI combines data on mental health from multiple sources into a single index:
• NHS-Mental health-related hospital attendances,
• Prescribing data – Antidepressants, QOF - depression, and
• DWP - Incapacity benefit and Employment support allowance for mental illness.

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Do young people in coastal communities have worse mental health?

• Not in all coastal communities…
• Only in the most deprived coastal communities

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Coastal Community Status in adolescence

Outcome Wave 2

Outcome Wave 12

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…

15y

10y

16y

27y

Understanding Society data set: An 11-year follow-up

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Outcomes:

• Mental functioning
• 6 questions, over last 4 weeks.
• Score 0 (low functioning) to 100 (high functioning)
• Psychological distress
• GHQ-36
• Score 0 (least distressed) to 36 (most distressed)

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Murray ET, et al. Health & Place, 2024

ALSO:

• Higher psychological distress (GHQ-36)
• Limiting long-term illness, impairment or disability.

Predicted average mental functioning in adulthood (16+) by Coastal Community type and are deprivation in adolescence (aged 10–15 years)

In top 20% most deprived neighbourhoods, coastal youth had average mental functioning scores −3.70 (-6.44, -0.96) lower  than their inland peers.

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HEALTH

Diagnose

Treat

Cure

Onset

Why is population health worse in Coastal Communities?

Migration dynamics

Secular Trends

History of Places

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Is it the place or the people in the places?

• Is it the environment?
• Is it the economic challenges of people who live in these communities?
• Is it access to mental health services?

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Social & Environmental Determinants?

• Coastal towns were once thriving centres of commerce, but many have experienced stark economic declines in recent decades.
• Those experienced industrial decline (e.g., seaside holidays, fishing, and shipbuilding) have worsened socio-economic problems.
• Inward migration of older people, transient populations, outward migration of young people, poor quality housing, physical isolation, a reliance on a seasonal economy, and high deprivation levels.

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ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT:

• Townsend index (2011)
• % Unemployed (2011)
• % Economic inactive (2011)
• Productivity - Gross Value Added (1998-2020)

SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT:

• % Qualifications (2011)
• IoD Crime Domain (2010)
• % Low skilled occup’n (2011)

BUILT ENVIRONMENT:

• Journey times by 9 key services (2015) – see notes.
• Connectivity to rail stations, airports and job centres (2015)
• Urban/ rural classification (2011)
• Population density (2011)

EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT*:

• Participation (POLAR4) (2009-10)
• Attainment (KS4) (2011)

[*MSOA only]

Lower Super Output Areas

In adolescence

Potential explanations #2: coastal community environments

Murray et al, Working Paper (2025).

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Murray et al, Working Paper (2025).

Average values for the top 20% most deprived English Coastal vs Inland lower-super output areas, 2011 (n=3,426)

Murray et al, Working Paper (2025).

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Murray et al, Working Paper (2025).

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Mean difference in SF-12 mental functioning scores (95% CI) deprived coastal compared to inland least deprived young adults, 2009 – 2021 (n=4,921, observations=18,324)

Murray et al, Working Paper (2025).

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Summary Paper 1:

• Young adults residing in the most deprived coastal areas of England during adolescence rate their mental health lower than if they lived in equally deprived areas inland.
• The primary explanation (so far) is the economic and social challenges that people face who live in these communities. Household incomes and private renting are key factors.
• Now to mental health services…

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Is it the place or the people in the places?

• Is it the environment?
• Is it the economic challenges of people who live in these communities?
• Is it access to mental health services?

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Wicks C 2025 et al (Health and Place)

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(1) Psychological distress

• Self-report measure of non-specific mental distress during the past two weeks.
• 12 positively or negatively worded items (e.g., “Thinking of self as worthless”)

(2) MH Diagnosis: history of diagnosed clinical depression.

Unmet need = Distress but no diagnosis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2025.103501

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Understanding Society: Survey timeline

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Adjusted for sex, area deprivation, area deprivation*Coastal community status, household income, tenure and race/ethnicity.

* indicates statistical significance

at 0.05 level.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2025.103501

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Fig. 3. Predicted prevalence of undiagnosed and diagnosed mental distress by area type in subsample of young adults (16–24 years).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2025.103501

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CONCLUSIONS:

• Our research shows that young adults residing in the most deprived coastal areas of England face a double whammy of poor mental health.
• They are both more likely to rate their mental health lower, and live with an undiagnosed mental health condition, then if they had lived inland.
• The primary explanation (so far) is the economic and social challenges that people face who live in these communities. Household incomes and private renting are key factors.

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Joe and Julia, Blackpool Beach. Photo by Polly Braden.

Young people & coastal communities: Local policymaker and practitioner perspectives: Interim report from the UCL Coastal Youth Life Chances project - UCL Discovery

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Orson on Blackpool beach. Photo by Polly Braden.

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Emily T. Murray, MSc PhD FHEA (She/her) 

Director of the Centre for Coastal Communities and Reader

Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing,

University of Essex

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Email: Emily.murray@essex.ac.uk

LinkedIn: Centre for Coastal Communities

Website: Coastal Communities | University of Essex

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