Depression: men far more at risk than women in deprived areas

an article by Olivia Remesan for The Conversation [via World of Psychology’s Psychology Around the Net]


Loss of purpose. Shutterstock

Depression is a major cause of disability around the world, and if left untreated, can lead to substance abuse, anxiety and suicide.

Major depressive disorder is a particular form of the condition which affects many people, potentially causing loss of pleasure in activities that once used to bring joy. It can also lead to feelings of worthlessness, imbalances such as oversleeping or insomnia, and trigger thoughts of suicide. This is the condition we examined during our new study, which showed that living in a deprived area can lead to major depressive disorder in men, but not in women.

Before explaining these findings, it is important to provide some further background on this condition. There are certain factors which can place you at increased risk for major depression. Being diagnosed with a serious chronic ailment, such as diabetes or cancer, now or in the past, can increase your risk for it. As can experiences of trauma, such as physical or sexual abuse, or being raised in a dysfunctional family in which there was a high degree of marital discord.

These, however, are all individual factors – or personal circumstances – which can negatively affect your mental health. And most of the research on depression has indeed focused on such personal factors. But there are characteristics beyond the level of the individual – such as attributes of the communities in which we live – that can also have a profound effect on our mental well-being.

Continue reading

---

Simply a matter of compliance with the rules? The moralising and responsibilising function of fraud-based citizenship deprivation in France and the UK

an article by Émilien Fargues (Centre de recherches politiques, Sciences Po Paris, France) published in Citizenship Studies Volume 23 Issue 4 (June 2019)

Abstract

Scholarship largely sees fraud-based citizenship stripping as a tool for guaranteeing the consistency of the naturalisation process against applicants who do not respect the rules. This implies that the line between ‘desirable’ and ‘undesirable’ citizens is drawn in accordance with procedural norms.

In contrast, this article argues that deprivation on grounds of fraud aims to create a virtuous and responsible political subject.

Drawing on the cases of France and the UK, the paper shows how government officials and judges understand citizenship deprivation not simply as a means to safeguard the procedural integrity of naturalisation, but as a mechanism for the moralisation and responsibilisation of applicants.

The article further contends that not everyone is made the subject of ‘renationalisation’. British and French deprivation policies reproduce suspicions and stereotypes against specific categories of migrants, constructing them as second-class citizens.

---

Clergy in place in England: Bias to the poor or inverse care law?

an article by Michael Hirst (University of York, UK) published in Population, Space and Place Volume 23 Issue 8 (November 2017)

Abstract

Faith traditions frequently proclaim priority for the poor and socially marginalised, emphasising individual and collective responsibility towards those in poverty. Ordained ministers or clergy – possibly the main investment of religious organisations – play a key role in encouraging and fulfilling that commitment in their local settings.

This paper considers the availability of clergy to provide pastoral care in areas of high socio-economic deprivation. Data from the 2011 census of England are used to correlate area variations in the number of clergy with household and neighbourhood deprivation.

Findings show that clergy are distributed inversely to socio-economic deprivation at the ecological level. Fewer clergy are available or readily accessible in the most deprived areas, raising questions about their ability to respond pastorally and act politically on behalf of the poor.

Market forces that draw clergy deployments towards less deprived areas warrant further investigation.

---

Poverty and Participation in Twenty-First Century Multicultural Britain

an article by Emanuele Ferragina (CNRS and Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire d'Evaluation des Politiques Publiques (LIEPP), France), Mark Tomlinson (University of Sheffield, UK) and Robert Walker (University of Oxford, UK) published in Social Policy and Society Volume 16 Issue 4 (October 2017)

Abstract

Peter Townsend argued that poverty could be scientifically measured as a ‘breakpoint’ within the income distribution below which participation collapses.

This paper stands on Townsend's shoulders in measuring the level of poverty and participation by:

1. broadening his original measurement of participation;
2. using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in conjunction with a new dataset including 40,000 households (Understanding Society, 2011; 2013); and
3. taking into account the multi-cultural/ethnic nature of British society.

We find that participation – defined as lack of deprivation, social participation and trust – reduces as income falls but stops doing so among the poorest 30 per cent of individuals. This may be indicating a minimum level of participation, a floor rather than a ‘breakpoint’ as suggested by Townsend, which has to be sustained irrespective of how low income is.

Respondents with an ethnic minority background manifest lower levels of participation than white respondents but the relationship has a less linear pattern. Moreover, the floor detected for the overall population is also replicated when combining all respondents from ethnic groups.

Full text (PDF 25pp)

---

The radicalisation of citizenship deprivation

an article by Tufyal Choudhury (Durham University, UK) published in Critical Social Policy Volume 37 Issue 2 (2017)

Abstract

This article addresses the regulation of citizenship in the UK, in particular the recent increased powers of citizenship deprivation against individuals suspected of involvement in terrorism. It examines the genealogy of such a practice and explains the juridical context of its use.

It argues that changes in citizenship policies, broadening state power and removing substantive and procedural safeguards, have eroded equal citizenship by creating a hierarchy among British citizens. This radical policy shift has been enacted in the context of counter radicalisation policies that posit commitment to British values as a key weapon in the ‘war on terror’.

Muslims are at best ‘Tolerated Citizens’, required to demonstrate their commitment to British values. Muslims holding unacceptable extremist views are ‘Failed Citizens’ while the ‘home-grown’ radicalised terrorist suspect is conceived of as the barbaric Other to British values, whose failure as a citizen is severe enough to justify the deprivation of citizenship.

Full text (PDF 25pp) via Durham University

---

Deprived neighbourhoods in transition: Divergent pathways of change in the Greater Manchester city-region

an article by Stephen Hincks (University of Manchester, UK) published in Urban Studies Volume 54 Issue 4 (March 2017)

Abstract

Many studies of neighbourhood change adopt a ‘bookend’ mode of analysis in which a baseline year is identified for a chosen outcome variable from which the magnitude of change is calculated to a determined endpoint typically over bi-decadal or decadal timeframes.

However, this mode of analysis smoothes away short-run change patterns and neighbourhood dynamics.

The implications of this practice could be far reaching if it is accepted that as neighbourhoods change they are liable to cross a threshold and transition from one state to another in the short- as well as longer-term.

In a case study of deprived neighbourhoods in the Greater Manchester city-region, this paper aims to contribute to neighbourhood change debates in two ways.

The first is by isolating transition pathways for individual neighbourhoods using annual change data.

The second is by testing the thesis that the more deprived a neighbourhood is, the more likely it is to respond with greater volatility to short-run shocks when compared with less-deprived neighbourhoods.

Four indicators collected annually between 2001 and 2010 are used to develop a typology of neighbourhood change and a subsequent typology of neighbourhood transition. The analysis exposed 260 different transition pathways that deprived neighbourhoods followed over the study period.

Multinomial logistic regression was then used to determine the odds of a neighbourhood undergoing transition along a specific pathway owing to its level of deprivation. The model revealed that the most deprived neighbourhoods were likely to follow more volatile transition pathways compared with the less-deprived neighbourhoods especially during periods of economic difficulty.

---

Ethnicity, gender, deprivation and low educational attainment in England: Political arithmetic, ideological stances and the deficient society

an article by Carl Parsons (University of Greenwich, UK) published in Education, Citizenship and Social Justice Volume 11 Number 2 (July 2016)

Abstract

Attainment data on England’s school pupils are more extensive in coverage, detail, quantity, accessibility and of higher quality than monitoring statistics routinely available in other European countries. These data facilitate investigation of low attainment in England’s schools and its relationship to ethnicity, gender and poverty.

This article reviews longitudinal sample studies and extends this with simpler presentations of England’s national attainment statistics for education over 5 years up to 2014. The analyses show recurrent correlations of low attainment with specific ethnic minority groups, with gender and most strongly with low-income sections of society.

There is a strong case, from these data and other research, that these inequalities are rooted in social and economic factors outside the school, created and sustained by neoliberal economic practices and elitist structures. It is argued that reducing the proportion of children growing up in poverty will have a bigger impact on raising average attainment levels than focusing on in-school factors.

---

Researching poverty: Methods, results and impact

an article by Peter Saunders (The University of New South Wales, Australia) published in The Economic and Labour Relations Review Volume 24 Number 2 (June 2013)

Abstract

This article draws on evidence generated in recent deprivation studies conducted by the author and colleagues at the Social Policy Research Centre.

After outlining some of the main limitations of poverty line studies, the paper explains how the deprivation approach addresses these weaknesses and illustrates the insights that deprivation studies can provide into the nature of poverty in contemporary Australia.

It then compares the results produced by a deprivation approach with those produced using a poverty line – both in terms of what they imply about the extent of the problem and who they suggest is most affected by it. The comparisons demonstrate that the reservations that many hold about poverty research can be overcome and that when this is done, the results become more compelling and thus have the potential to have a greater impact on anti-poverty policy.

---

Low Wage Workers

a paper in the Skills in Focus series by Dr Paul Sissons (The Work Foundation) published by Skills Development Scotland (January 2013)

The paper addresses the following issues:

1. The extent of the problem – how do we define low wages and where are they most prevalent?
2. Low wages in Scotland – what are the specific issues here?
3. Those most at risk – who are they and why are they stuck in the low wage trap?
4. Change in the labour market – how will this affect the extent of low paid work?
5. Tackling the problem – what has worked previously and what can we learn from this?

Full text (PDF 20pp)

---

Mixed-Tenure Neighbourhoods in London: Policy Myth or Effective Device to Alleviate Deprivation?

an article by Sonia Arbaci (Bartlett School of Planning, University College London, UK) and Ian Rae (London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford, UK) published in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research Volume 37 Issue 2 (March 2013)

Abstract

Social and tenure-mixing policies are recurrently deployed as a means to tackle urban deprivation and reduce social inequalities on both sides of the Atlantic, albeit without sound evidence, with policies often resulting in gentrification, social polarisation or dispersal towards peripheral areas.

This article explores whether housing-tenure diversification is a device for alleviating deprivation in terms of increasing socioeconomic opportunities (production) and access to resources (consumption), and empirically contributes to wider debates on inequality, segregation and neighbourhood effects.

Quantitative and qualitative longitudinal analyses examine the extent to which, in Greater London, there are greater opportunities and access to resources amongst social tenants in mixed-tenure neighbourhoods than amongst those in concentrations of social housing.

Changes in deprivation levels according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) are contrasted and unpacked, and correlations between tenure, ethnicity, income, location, neighbourhood affordability and deprivation are investigated.

The research demonstrates that social tenants do experience differing opportunities and access to resources, but these are not dependent on, or improved by, the level of tenure mix within the neighbourhood.

Instead, integration of area-based and people-based policy, as well as decommodified access to welfare services (such as education, training and employment opportunities), is crucial.

Furthermore, the IMD as an evidence base for policy formulation is contested and the neighbourhood effects are challenged.

---

Deprivation - an urban issue?

via Centre for Cities by Rachel Smith

There are almost 122,200 very deprived households in England and Wales.

Yesterday [30 January 2013], another slew of Census data was released. This included statistics on deprived households measured across four different factors: levels employment, education, and health and disability as well as quality of housing.

To some extent the data tells us what we already knew; a disproportionate number of England and Wales’ very deprived households – those counted as deprived on all four of the factors listed above – can be found in cities.

Continue reading

---

Lone parents, poverty and policy in the European Union

an article by Yekaterina Chzhen (University of Oxford, UK) and Jonathan Bradshaw (University of York, UK) published in Journal of European Social Policy volume 22 Number 5 (December 2012)

Abstract

Although there is considerable research evidence to show that children in lone-parent families are at increased risk of poverty, there have been few comparative analyses of lone parents in Europe.

Using the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 2009, this paper compares the prevalence and characteristics of lone-parent families, analyses the poverty and deprivation risks of children, and evaluates the potential impact of social transfer income packages on child poverty reduction.

We use the unique personal identifiers of mothers, fathers and partners to define lone-parent families with greater precision. Using a multi-level framework, we find lower child poverty rates in countries with more generous social transfers, even after controlling for the country standard of living.

A reverse pattern is observed for material deprivation: the negative effect of social transfer income washes out when the GDP per capita is controlled for, which itself has a negative and significant effect on material deprivation.

---

Spatially Concentrated Deprivation in England: An Empirical Assessment

an article by Alasdair Rae (Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Sheffield, UK) published in Regional Studies Volume 46 Issue 9 (2012)

Abstract

Spatially concentrated deprivation is a well-documented phenomenon and is of interest to a diverse constituency of academics and policy-makers.

Despite the accepted view of concentrated deprivation as a problem, however, the empirical basis for understanding it remains under-developed. Therefore, an attempt is made here to provide an empirical assessment of spatially concentrated deprivation in England using spatial statistics and a policy-relevant deprivation measure.

More localized analyses are also conducted for London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.

The results demonstrate that deprivation in England is highly concentrated, that it varies significantly over space and that spatial patterns persist through time.

JEL classifications: J, J0, J4, J6, J40, J60, J64

---

Lack of Education Widens Gap in Life Expectancy

The Columbia University: Mailman School of Public health via 3quarksdaily by Azra Raza

Lack of education as a proxy for poverty and deprivation maybe but as a causation in its own right? I remain to be convinced.

The Columbian article is here and

here  behind a paywall is the “provocative” paper which was published in the August issue of the journal Health Affairs

---

Spatial patterns of labour market deprivation in Scotland: Concentration, isolation and persistence

an article by Alasdair Rae (University of Sheffield) published in Local Economy Volume 27 Number 5-6 (August/September 2012)

Abstract

The measurement of deprivation at the small area level has been an important element of the evidence base for policy targeting and formulation in the United Kingdom over the past two decades.

In Scotland, the Scottish Indices of Deprivation 2009 represent the most recent manifestation of this trend, and they tell a familiar story, particularly in relation to local labour market deprivation.

This labour market dimension is an intriguing sub-plot, since regeneration and economic development policies very often have employment-related goals and target areas which are under-represented in terms of local labour market participation. However, despite numerous spatially targeted policy interventions, the policy challenge looms large and local labour market deprivation in Scotland is characterised by patterns of spatial concentration and isolation.

This article therefore sheds more light on these phenomena at a time when proposed welfare reforms threaten to further exacerbate patterns of spatially concentrated deprivation in Scotland.

---