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

Nino, Michael

Second Committee Member

Gruenewald, Jeff

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.

Included in

Criminology Commons

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