Date of Graduation
8-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Sociology (MA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Sociology and Criminal Justice
Advisor/Mentor
Harris, Casey T.
Committee Member
Niño, Michael D.
Second Committee Member
Gruenewald, Jeffrey A.
Keywords
311 service calls; Covid-19; Geospatial; Mental Health
Abstract
In response to the Covid-19 global crisis, the United States implemented social interaction restrictions to curb the infection rate amongst citizens, affecting residents' mental health by adding strain from daily routine change. This study examines how mental health has changed during the pandemic by focusing on geospatial differences of volume and concentration within 311 calls in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2018 and 2020. Our data comes from the City of Little Rock’s open database to construct geospatial maps (n= 155 block groups), along with Census survey data logistic regression models to show differences in community characteristics. Overall, mental health worsened over time for those in neighborhoods with higher disadvantages and residential mobility, leading to high concentration of calls residing in the downtown community. Our findings highlight the effects of the pandemic on mental health at a neighborhood-level and how geospatial tools can be of use to efficiently allocate resources to residents in a global crisis.
Citation
Bishop, M. (2024). Mental Health Calls for Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Examining the Geographic Distribution and Correlates of Service Requests in Little Rock, Arkansas. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/5413
