Date

11-13-2024

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Tyler Sheppard

Keywords

mental illness, fatalities, African American, Hispanic, Caucasian, Texas, police

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

Mental illness is emerging in the United States as a public concern. In 2021, an estimated 60 million adults in the United States were affected by mental illness (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023). Mental illness is increasingly becoming a topic of conversation among households, churches, schools, and workplaces due to the diminishing of societal stigmas. Ongoing discussions among researchers underline the different manifestations and demographic disparities in the effects of mental illness. A 12-month study revealed a higher prevalence of mood, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders among non-Latino whites. In reference to Asians, African Americans, and Latinos, mood disorders were found to be more persistent among these minority groups (Vilsaint et al., 2019). Other studies have also proven a correlation between criminal activity and mental illness. Gottfried and Christopher (2017) found that one-fifth of criminal behavior can be attributed to symptoms related to mental illness. The aim of this present study is to examine recent archival data utilizing a chi square test to examine the association between race and the presence of a mental health crisis among individuals involved in a fatal police encounter in Texas.

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