PhD Scientific Days 2020

Mental Sciences II. Posters

Disadvantaged Populations’ Mental Health in Segregated Settlement Areas

Előadó neve

Ember, Zsolt, MSc

Előadó munkahelye

Semmelweis University Institute of Mental Health

Előadó telefonszáma

+3630-361-21-80

Előadó e-mail címe

zsolt.ember07@gmail.com

Az előadás címe

Disadvantaged Populations’ Mental Health in Segregated Settlement Areas

Szerző(k) neve és munkahelye

Zsolt Ember, Eva Huszti
1 Semmelweis University Institute of Mental Health, Budapest
2 University of Debrecen Faculty of Health, Nyíregyháza

Szekció

Mental Sciences II. Posters

Language of the presentation

Hungarian

Section, first choice

Mental Sciences

Section, second choice

Health Sciences

Összefoglaló szövege

Introduction
The disadvantaged populations’ bad health-state is owing to the negative effects of the economic drawback and geographical isolation of poverty (Forray 2013). This is especially conspicuous in North-East of Hungary, which is the most obscurantist region among people living in segregated neighbourhoods (Kósa 2006). Social support, as an important health-factor, basically determines peoples’ mental health and psychical well-being. Those with strong social support show depressive symptoms seldom, but 55% of those who have only got a low level of social support, show some kind of depressive symptoms as well (ELEF 2014).

Aims
The main goal of this study is to reveal the relation between social network characteristics and mental health status among disadvantaged people living in an impoverished area, where the rate of multiple deprivation is one of the highest in the country.

Method
Data is based on a research carried out in two, geographically segregated areas of a county town, in the North-East of Hungary. Sample size is 271, the average age is 43,50. The rate of self-reported roma is 41%. SF-36 Quality of Life questionnaire was applied to measure mental health status (Huszti-Ember 2019).

Results
The number of friends and confidants of people living in the two segregated areas (ie. blocks of flats) are far lower than that of the national sample. Rate of people with no friends and confidants are also remarkably high. The studied population’s situation is worse in terms of the level of vitality and the state of mind than it is the case with the average population of the same city. There is a significant relationship between the number of friends and the mental health status of the studied population: more friends contribute to better mental health. In terms of getting social support, differences can be observed between the two examined neighbourhoods (Huszti-Ember 2019).

Conclusion
The location of the segregated areas and the dysfunctional contact networks are additional risk factors to mental health status. More secluded neighbourhood coincides with a worse state of mind.

Additional Information

Beáta Dávid
david.bea@public.semmelweis-univ.hu

Éva Huszti
huszti.eva@foh.unideb.hu

Bemutatás módja

Poszter

Kind

Szabad

Status

elfogadva

Accepted presentation method

poszter

Előadás fájl jóváhagyás

nem rendelkezett róla

Előadó

4691

Start

12:25

End

12:28

Authors (legacy)

Zsolt Ember, Eva Huszti
1 Semmelweis University Institute of Mental Health, Budapest
2 University of Debrecen Faculty of Health, Nyíregyháza