Environmental perceptons, psychological conditons and inhabitants' quality of life in irregular occupaton in the mangrove areas in Baixada Santsta, SP, Brazil

Abstract

Mangroves are important ecosystems that sometmes may have intense interacton with irregular unplanned urbanizaton environments. The objectve of this work is to analyze the perceptons of the environment, psychological conditons and inhabitants' quality of life within irregular occupatons in the mangrove areas of the Baixada Santsta (SP). Thirty residents of a mangrove neighborhood were recruited and answered the following instruments: World Health Organizaton Quality of life - Abbreviated Scale (WHOQOL - Bref), Adult Self-Report for ages 18-59 (ASR) and an environmental percepton survey. The data descriptve analysis indicated: environmental percepton marked by positve values atributed to the mangrove, importance of preservaton, appointments of various species and physical components; problems of clinical psychology affectng young women, and quality of life classified as good (physical, social and psychological domains) and regular (environmental domain). The accentuated environmental percepton and the regularizaton of the occupatons may be related to the good health and quality of life of the partcipants.