Many studies have evidenced adverse effects of exposure to aircraft noise on health, such as annoyance, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular diseases or altered cognitive performance. Mental health has been less investigated. In France, about 18% of the population suffer from mental disorders. The effects of noise annoyance on psychological distress have rarely been evaluated, and no study exists in France. We investigated associations between annoyance due to aircraft noise and psychological distress for people living near airports in France.

The DEBATS longitudinal study included 1244 residents around three French airports: Paris–Charles-de-Gaulle, Toulouse–Blagnac, and Lyon–Saint-Exupéry. Information about psychological distress was assessed by a face-to-face questionnaire, including a single question about the feeling of depression, and the 12-version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Annoyance due to aircraft noise was assessed with the following question “Thinking about the last 12 months, when you are at home, how much does aircraft noise annoy you?” The five-point verbal scale proposed by the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise was used: extremely, very, moderately, slightly or not at all. Associations with psychological distress were investigated using logistic regressions including relevant confounders such as gender, age, country of birth, occupational activity, marital status, alcohol consumption, smoking, sleep duration, number of stressful life events, education, income, and antidepressant use.

About 13% of the participants reported depression and 22% were considered to have psychological distress according to the GHQ-12. Significant associations were found between annoyance due to aircraft noise and the feeling of depression, and between annoyance due to aircraft noise and psychological distress evaluated with the GHQ-12. The odds ratio (OR) for the feeling of depression ranged from 0.89 (95% CI: 0.50–1.59) to 2.61 (95% CI: 1.09–6.23). The OR for the GHQ-12 ranged from 1.49 (95% CI: 0.94–2.39) to 3.64 (95% CI: 1.70–7.78). For both outcomes, OR reached the maximum estimate for people reporting to be extremely annoyed compared to those who are not at all annoyed.

The present study found significant associations between annoyance due to aircraft noise and psychological distress assessed both with a single question about the feeling of depression and with the GHQ-12, with gradual ORs across the different categories of noise annoyance. This result is in line with the findings of the few studies performed on this issue. However, the direction of the association can be questioned. Extremely annoyed people might be more at risk to have psychological disorders, but it is also possible that people with psychological disorders might be more at risk to be annoyed.