Honors Thesis Archive
| Author | Katherine Brown |
|---|---|
| Title | Understanding the Impact of Strain and Social Disorganization on Mental Illness |
| Department | Sociology |
| Advisor | Dr. Brooke Wagner, Dr. Jerry Pankhurst, Dr. Nancy Woehrle |
| Year | 2015 |
| Honors | Departmental Honors |
| Full Text | View Thesis (970 KB) |
| Abstract | Using data gathered at the Clark County Jail, this study expanded on factors influencing mental illness among the inmate population. This research attempted to gain insight on structural factors influencing the prevalence of inmates receiving mental illness diagnoses. Theories of general strain and social disorganization were used to analyze the relationship between mental illness and criminality. After initially running a correlation matrix to gain insight on initial existing relationships, a 4-model logistic regression analysis was done. The results illustrate that measures of both general strain and social disorganization impact the presence of mental illness during adulthood among offenders. Social disorganization variables were better predictors of mental illness when compared with those of general strain. The evidence suggested that the variables representative of disorganized environments, such as being in foster care and experiencing homelessness, influence the likelihood of receiving a diagnosis of mental illness. Additionally, childhood victimization, measuring general strain, suggests that inmates who experienced neglect during childhood also have an increased likelihood of being diagnosed during adulthood. The evidence indicates that both situations and experiences impact adult mental health. |
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