A Study of a High Delinquency Area

This is a report of an ecological study of delinquency in a Chicago neighborhood having the fifth highest rate of delinquency compared with the 75 other neighborhood communities in the city. Ecology, broadly defined, is the study of the interrelationships between organism and the immediate environment in which it lives. In sociology, some ecological studies have been concerned with total urban areas. Others have investigated smaller areas such as neighborhoods or census tracts. The unit areas are compared with one another in terms of certain characteristics considered to be the independent variables such as housing, income, and mobility and certain conditions considered to be dependent variables. The prevalence of mental illness or juvenile delinquency are examples of the latter

Gender differences in the effect of unemployment on psychological distress

In this paper we examine whether unemployment has a differential impact on the expression of psychological distress among men and women. Based on the traditional centrality of the work role to men and the family role to women, we defined several key domains that might affect unemployed men and women differentially: family circumstances, concerns and worries about children and family; coping responses; social support and social integration; and the centrality of the work role. While the study population either were or hoped to be in the labor force and had dependent children, they varied in their marital status and whether they were the custodial parent. Using data collected in Baltimore from those who had been unemployed but had returned to work, those who had remained continuosly unemployed for a year, and those who had been continuously employed, we compared the patterns of men's and women's reactions to unemployment. The important differences in psychological symptoms in this population were related to employment status, problems with parenting, financial difficulties, perceived lack of social support, hostility, and feelings about unemployment. By and large, the patterns of these relationships were similar for men and women. These findings suggest that when gender in ferences in psychological distress are found they may be due to differences in role configurations of men and women rather than intrinsic gender differences.unemployment psychological distress gender differences coping

Woodlawn Mental Health Longitudinal Community Epidemiological Project, 1966-1976

The purpose of the study was to prospectively investigate the mental health of children as they enter first grade and progress through their early school years and into adolescence with a particular focus on the evolving role of such environmental influences as family structure, school atmosphere, and neighborhood on psychological well-being. Investigators were especially interested in identifying factors associated with increased risk of adolescent substance dependence and abuse and determining and designing preventive interventions for subsequent substance dependence and abuse. The original sample consisted of four cohorts of first grade African American children residing in a poor urban community on the south side of Chicago. Cohorts were enrolled annually 1964 through 1967. The third cohort of first graders (1966-1967) also included interviews with the participants' mothers; they were followed-up in 1976 when the children were teenagers. Clinical measures (e.g.,"How I feel" schedule; Mother Symptom Inventory) assessed the child's and mother's reported functioning and experience of symptoms. Educational measures were included to evaluate child's aptitude, readiness for learning, and classroom performance. Family structure and organization were assessed through an interview with mother. At the adolescent follow-up, a questionnaire assessed frequency of drug use, reports of family practices and values regarding affection and rules, self-reported delinquency, sexual behavior and attitudes. The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study (a core sample of 1242 children, with additional data on approximately 200 more participants; also data for 1388 mothers at Time I [1966] and 939 mothers at Time III [1976]). If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data. Follow-up of study participants is not possible. Use of data requires submission of a two to three page research proposal for review and approval by a screening committee

Unemployment and psychiatric distress: Social resources and coping

Unemployment is viewed as one of the more stressful of life events that an adult can experience. Job loss leads to decreased social status, disrupts family and social roles, produces financial strain, and loss of self esteem, all of which have detrimental consequences for mental health. We studied psychiatric symptoms in 269 unemployed adults with dependent children in Baltimore; one-half of the sample had returned to work 1 year following unemployment. A comparison group of 92 community residents who were continuously employed were also interviewed. Using a stressful life events perspective, we examined three models of how life events relate to psychiatric distress suggested by Dohrenwend and Dohrenwend [1. Social Status and Psychological Disorder: A Causal Inquiry. Wiley, New York, 1969. 2. Am. J. commun. Psychol.9, 128, 1981]. Our results support an 'additive burden' model of the stress process, which also shows recovery in mental health functioning upon subsequent reemployment. We suggest that the models tested did not take into account the meaning of the life event in terms of failure and that this meaning may influence its impact on psychological distress.unemployment coping stress psychiatric symptoms social support

Childhood Adversity and Later Mortality in an Urban African American Cohort

The Woodlawn Project is a longitudinal study of the development of psychological well-being and social adaptation in an epidemiologically defined cohort of African American first graders interviewed as adolescents and again as adults. The identification of childhood factors predictive of mortality has clear public health importance. Family and childhood adversity and psychosocial factors have been shown to have long-term effects on later mental health and school achievement in adolescence and young adulthood. However, possible effects of such factors on longevity have been “mostly unstudied.” In this article, we examine family and childhood factors in relation to the risk of later mortality