disadvantaged neighborhoods,
ambient stressors are difficult to avoid and become
integrated into daily living (Matheson et al., 2006). Israel et al.
(2006) used focus groups to examine perceptions of neighborhoods
in Detroit, Michigan, USA and found that the language of
“stress” emerged as meaningful across groups of participants.
Common stressors reported by the focus groups included crime,
deteriorated buildings, lack of trust in neighbors, gangs, inadequate
services, discrimination, and job insecurity.