ABSTRACT
In prisons, Schaeffer, Baum, Paulus and Gaes (1988) found that inmates in open dormitories had higher stress (urinary catecholamines) than inmates with partitioned private space. Square footage was comparable. Cox, Paulus, Mc Cain and Karlovac (1982) showed that spatially enclosed sleeping accommodations largely ameliorated the negative impacts of crowding on health complaints among crowded inmates. Both cross-sectional (Evans, Palsane, Lepore, & Martin, 1989) and prospective,
Household density was measured by the ratio of p~rsons per room in the home. Interior depth was operationalized as described in the Introduction. We utilized the front entrance of the residence as the fixed starting point. Rooms interconnected without a wall (e.g., dining room and kitchen) are counted as one room. Depth for the entire residence was calculated.
