Poverty in America - Term Paper Example

? Poverty in America and How it Relates to Mental Illness In America This information delves into poverty in American and how it relates to mental health. The introduction gives an example of a family that has become homeless and how they become homeless. The research has used five books and one main article from the Internet; however, additional information has been included. Detailed information covers the causes of poverty and attempts to answer various questions. How does poverty relate to mental health? Are the mentally ill sick because of poverty or is poverty a cause of mental illness? The conclusion summarizes the research findings. Keywords: poverty, homeless, inequality, mental health, outsourcing. Poverty in America and How it Relates to Mental Illness in America Introduction: “Pam never thought she would be homeless.” Her husband worked a full time job as a window washer, but the work dropped off and as a result he began to stay home to take care of their three children. Pam worked a part-time job at a local hospital as a respiratory therapist. She was told when she took the job that it would become full time eventually. However, the hospital decided to lay off some employees and her job was among them. With cutbacks at other hospitals in the area, Pam’s options became very limited. All of a sudden the family had no income. They could not pay the rent and had no choice but to travel to other cities in search of work. They lived in their van while they were looking for work, but when the van broke down they became stranded. They had no money, no credit cards and no friends or family they could call for help. (Nichelason, 1994). This situation has become more common in the United States. Employment has a very profound effect on money that is brought into a household and poverty. Potential job loss, or maybe a decline in earnings, or a reduction in wages or hours can severely effect any type of growth among low wage earners. Studies have shown that nearly 20 percent of adult workers who enter poverty had a major wage earner or head of household lose a job. And more than 40 percent of those that enter poverty live within a household that experienced a job loss by the head, spouse, or other major wage earner. It is also shown that 25 percent of females who enter poverty were head of households and lost a job. The following research will give some of the reasons that trigger poverty and homelessness and its relation to mental health. What causes poverty and is it directly related to mental health? (Rynell, 2008). Are the mentally ill sick because of poverty or is poverty a cause of mental illness? (Carney, 2012). What are Some of the Causes of Poverty? It is a fact that people who live in a household that has experienced the loss of a job are more likely to enter poverty. Loss of income is more often a direct cause of homelessness. Income determines a person’s lifestyle, the type of home they live in, what they eat, clothes they wear, medical and dental care, and their entertainment. In 1991 the poverty level for a family of four in the United States was $13,359. This number is what the Federal Government of the United States considers the cut off line for being poor. Anything below that number is considered to be officially poor. This transfers to 33.6 million people within the United States in the year 1990. And even more startling, is half of those are children. (Nichelason, 1994). It is further a fact, looking at overall earning more broadly; a decline in earnings can also trigger poverty. Almost half or 49.3 percent of poverty entrances begin when there is a reduction in earnings. It is also noted that 37.9 percent of these numbers are directly related to a fall in the head of household earnings and 11.4 percent are related to a spouse or other family member. Another contributing factor is employment history or weeks worked. If one does not have full-time yearly employment it plays a direct part in potential poverty. Changes in the secondary wage earner within households also play a direct role in the potential poverty of children. (Rynell, 2008). Some of the reasons are not entirely controllable. Structural changes in the economy contribute directly to an increased rise in low-wage jobs. It is noted that low-income workers have suffered in recent decades with the exception of a short boom at the end of the 1990s. When the labor force is concentrated in low-skill occupations with low wages, limited benefits, poor working conditions, and intermittent schedules the workers available may not be in good enough supply to keep workers out of poverty. (Rynell, 2008) Another alarming fact is that 29 million workers active in the workforce in the United States are at poverty level wages. This translates into 24.5 percent or one fourth of the workforce. The average hourly wage for this group of workers is $7.36. The individuals that make up this percentage are female, minorities, and non-college educated and young first time workers. These people are also more likely to work in retail, trade and service industry jobs. (Rynell, 2008). Another fact is that “the median annual earnings of full-time, year round workers fell in 2006” (Rynell, 2008) as it did in 2005 and 2004. The largest drop has been with Afro-Americans since 2000 for a percentage of 8 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars. Also women are more likely to earn lower wages than men. Women showed a 29.4 percent for poverty level wages and men a percentage of 19.9 in 2005. According to these 2008 figures women earn a median wage of 82 percent against a mans’ wage. (Rynell, 2008). Some targeted groups of workers are disadvantaged from the start due to discrimination. Some employers use race to suggest past criminal activity and are adamant about criminal checks. This discrimination transfers to reduced demand for their labor that directly effects their wages and employment rates. (Rynell, 2008). These figures can become skewed due to work performed by “off the books” workers in low income sectors. These workers will see unstable incomes and difficult working conditions. This in turn increases the risk of poverty. (Rynell, 2008). Economists also relish the idea of outsourcing, which is a debatable subject with pros and cons. During the 1990s “2 million jobs were transferred to other nations by big business, including IBM, Microsoft and Citigroup.” (Batra, 2007). Batra contends that “the idea is foolish, even disastrous.” (Batra, 2007). He also contends that “the economic arguments favoring outsourcing are phony. Economist tell you that when outsourcing raises corporate profits, more jobs will be created in America.” (Batra, 2007) He also feels that this concept is a hoax and history has shown it. It also contributes to poverty here in the United States. How does this Relate to Mental Health? The U. S. Conference of Mayors surveyed 25 cities for the three largest causes of homelessness in their communities in 2008. It is noted that mental illness was the third cause of homelessness for adults. Mental illness in families also contributed 12 percent as one of the top 3 causes of homelessness. (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). Mental illness can prevent people from maintaining stable relationships and often push away caregivers and family and friends who are needed to prevent the person from becoming homeless. However, this does not support the contention that homelessness is a contributor to poverty or mental illness. (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). Inequality and poverty both have indirect and direct effects on the well being of an individual. (Murali; Oyebode, 2004). In a simple summarized statement about housing, “when the rich and the poor compete for housing on the open market, the poor don’t stand a chance.” (Ehrenreich, 2001). In this article, Murali and Oyebode contend that income inequality brings with it psychosocial stress which translates into poor health and a higher mortality rate over time. Therefore, poverty and inequality go hand in hand. Research has shown that the relationship between income inequality and life expectancy has been slowly disappearing. However, it is still a fact that those that live in low-income communities are more apt to be exposed to poor health, stress, frustration, and family disruptions. These more often result in increases in crime rates, homicide and violence. (Murali; Oyebode, 2004). These are classified as communities that are deprived and are under-invested in the social and physical structure of that community. Other obstacles are apparent in poverty as well dealing with threats to health. The poor are more likely to be exposed to dangerous surroundings. This can include stressful, unrewarding work that deprives them of necessities and extra amenities that make life enjoyable. Since they are not mainstreamed into society, they become isolated from proper support and information. Therefore, it is a fact that the connection between socio-economic level and disease is a major concern in public health. (Murali; Oyebode, 2004). This same article shows that people in lower socio-economic classes are exposed to many more stresses and have little access to information to manage them; therefore, they are twice victims. Poverty carries with it many long-term problems as well including school failure, crime, and substance misuse. A survey in the 1970s showed that men aged 20-64 at the low occupational class level were twice as high as other men in mortality. By the early 1990s it was three times as high. (Murali; Oyebode, 2004). Further research shows that this is not limited to infectious diseases. Psychiatric conditions also occur more frequently in poor areas, and also cluster in some inner-city neighborhoods. The Manhattan Study which was conducted in 1963 showed a direct correlation with poverty and an elevated rate of emotional disturbances as well as a lack of access to treatment and facilities. (Murali: Oyebode, 2004). However there remains a controversy over the correlation between lower social class and patients with schizophrenia and more severe mental illnesses. The relationship between poverty and psychosis is complex and hard to pinpoint. (Murali: Oyebode, 2004). Conclusion: “For some it is a dream that will never come true.” (Aaseng, 1991). Escaping poverty is a basic human problem that some will never see end. It has become widespread in the United States as well as other countries and a curse of modern society. Consumers in modern industrialized nations stuff themselves on raw materials to satisfy their cravings for comfort and convenience. While on the other end of the spectrum children die, adults suffer low income, poor health, and lack needed necessities. (MacDougal, 2000). The United States spends an average of “$380 million each year in welfare and related human services.” (MacDougal, 2000). MacDougal contends that the poverty line for a family of four in the US is $16,700 per year. Why is this $380 million flow of funds not benefiting poor people in a way that releases them from dependency? (MacDougal,2000). “Money is not a guarantor of mental health, nor does its absence necessarily lead to mental illness.” (Murali; Oyebode, 2004). However, it is the general feeling from this research that poverty can be both a consequence as well as a determining factor of poor mental health. (Murali; Oyebode, 2004). References Aaseng, Nathan. (1991). Ending World Hunger. Introduction: Hunger in a World of Plenty, 1, (7). Batra, Ravi. (2007). The New Golden Age. Lies, Damned Lies and Economists, 7(105). Carney, Jack, DSW. 17 March 2012. Poverty & Mental Illness: You Can’t Have One Without the Other. Web. 15 March 2012. http://madinamerica.com/. Ehrenreich, Barbara. (2001). Nichel and Dimed. Evaluation, 199. MacDougal, Gary. (2000). Make a Difference. How one man helped Solve America’s Poverty Problem. Introduction, I(1). Michelason, Margery G. (1994). Homeless or Hopeless. The Causes of Homelessness, 2(23-25). Murali, Vijaya; Oyebode, Femi. (2004). Poverty, social inequality and mental health. Web. 15 March 2012. http://apt.rcpsych.org/. National Coalition for the Homeless. 07 2009. Mental Illness and Homelessness. Web. 15 March 2012. http://nationalhomeless.org/factsheet/. Rynell, Amy. October 2008. Causes of Poverty, Findings from Recent Research. What Aspects Of Employment Trigger Entry into Poverty? Web. 15 March 2012. http://heartlandalliance.org/. Poverty in America and how it Relates to Mental Illness in America I. Introduction A. Pam’s Family became Homeless. B. Effect of Unemployment on Household Income C. Relation of Poverty to Mental Health II. What are Some of the Causes of Poverty: A. Loss of jobs B. Reduction of Earnings C. Structural Changes in Economy D. Large percentage of workers are at Poverty Level in the US E. Falling of median income earnings for full time employment F. Discrimination among some workers. G. Jobs transferred out of the country. III. How does this Relate to Mental Health? A. Some statistics concerning Homeless. B. Inequality and Poverty. C. Mental health and Mortality rate. D. Dangerous surroundings and stresses E. Psychiatric conditions more prominent in poor areas. F. Controversy over Poverty and more severe mental illnesses. IV. Conclusion. Read More