A recent publication in SSM – Mental Health titled "Beyond the individual: Household activity of daily living limitations, urban-rural residence, and mental health" by a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including DUPRI Scholars Manoj Mohanan and Jennifer Lansford, investigates how limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) among household members relate to the mental health of others living in the same household. ADLs refer to basic self-care and mobility tasks such as dressing, walking, and bathing, which become increasingly challenging with age or chronic conditions. Using nationally representative survey data from India, the study documents that nearly 40 % of households include at least one resident with an ADL limitation, with these limitations more common in rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged households.

Importantly, the authors find that household ADL limitations are associated with higher symptoms of depression and anxiety among other household members, and that this association becomes stronger as the number of affected members increases. The relationships also vary by age group — adults show elevated mental health symptoms even with one household member affected, whereas for younger adults this effect appears only when multiple household members have limitations. Additionally, the adverse mental health association is more pronounced in rural settings compared to urban ones. These findings highlight the importance of considering broader household and contextual factors — rather than focusing solely on the individual with functional limitations — when designing supports and accommodations to improve mental health.

This work was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (grant number R01HD107420, PI: Mohanan and Maselko).

Citation

Shartle, Kaitlin, Jennifer E. Lansford, Marcos Vera‑Hernández, Arnab Mukherji, Manoj Mohanan, and Joanna Maselko. 2025. "Beyond the Individual: Household Activity of Daily Living Limitations, Urban‑Rural Residence, and Mental Health." SSM ‑ Mental Health 8: Article 100547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100547