A Profile Study of Elderly Offenders in the Community Criminal Courts of Singapore: Theorizing Geriatric Criminality

This research, using data from the Community Criminal Courts where a majority of elderly offenders are tried and sentenced, investigates the socio-economic profile of elderly offenders and the factors influencing their criminal motivation in Singapore. It revisits conceptualizations of offending in older age which until now has received scant attention even in Asian societies where ties to conventional institutions are thought to be “protective.” The majority of elderly offenders in this study were “revolving door prisoners” and were never in possession of any efficacious social capital that would have prevented them from committing a crime or enabled their re-entry process, a problem compounded by the study’s findings that almost 70% of the sampled offenders had experienced mental health issues. This would have spelled adverse consequences for their desistance and, conversely, their recidivist behavior, a finding that was consistent with many other studies that had examined the association between psychosis and crime.

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Burden of Psychological Issues in Young, Adults and Parents Globally and in India due to COVID

10.51626/ijnbs.2021.02.00010 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Institutions ◽

Mental Health Issue ◽

Psychiatric Diagnoses ◽

Health Issues ◽

Psychological Issues ◽

Mental Health Issues ◽

History Of ◽

The Government ◽

Using Data

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to several provinces in China. India had 15.3 million cases as of April 21, 2021, with 13.1 million cases recovered; however, 181 thousand patients died as a result of the covid. The government enforced a full lockdown across the country to break the chain of Covid infections. People became isolated from society as a result of the lockdown. They limited access to the healthcare system, as well as schools, universities, and other social institutions. The new normal was difficult for people to adjust to, the health-care system was on the verge of collapsing, and the fear of COVID caused widespread anxiety and mental health issues. According to the recent study published in Lancet on November 9, 18 percent of COVID-19 patients developed a mental health issue— like depression, anxiety, or dementia — within 3 months of diagnosis. Their risk was doubled compared to people who didn’t have COVID-19. In the study, authors examined whether a diagnosis of COVID-19 was associated with increased rates of subsequent psychiatric diagnoses, and whether patients with a history of psychiatric illness are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19, using data from 69 million people, 62354 of whom have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

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“You’re Fired,” Says the Robot

Social Science Computer Review ◽

10.1177/0894439317698637 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 139-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Paul K. McClure

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Artificial Intelligence ◽

New Technologies ◽

American Population ◽

Health Issues ◽

Substantial Portion ◽

Modern Life ◽

Technological Unemployment ◽

Mental Health Issues ◽

Using Data

The rapid adoption of new technologies in the workplace, especially robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), has motivated some researchers to determine what effects such technologies may have. Few scholars, however, have examined the possibility that a large segment of the population is apprehensive about the quick pace of technological change and encroachment into modern life. Drawing from economic projections about the future of the digital economy and from literature in the sociology of technology and emotions, this article explores whether certain fears of technology exacerbate fears of unemployment and financial insecurity. Using data from Wave 2 of the Chapman Survey of American Fears ( N = 1,541), I find that there exists a sizable population of “technophobes” or those who fear robots, AI, and technology they do not understand. Technophobes are also more likely than nontechnophobes to report having anxiety-related mental health issues and to fear unemployment and financial insecurity. With advances in robotics and AI, the threat of technological unemployment is discussed as a real concern among a substantial portion of the American population.

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Perceptions of firearm-related harm among US adults living in firearm-owning households: a nationally representative study

Injury Prevention ◽

10.1136/injuryprev-2021-044389 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. injuryprev-2021-044389

Author(s):

Ali Rowhani-Rahbar ◽

Miriam Joan Haviland ◽

Deborah Azrael ◽

Matthew Miller

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Positive Outcomes ◽

Health Issues ◽

Firearm Injuries ◽

Representative Study ◽

Mental Health Issues ◽

Firearm Safety ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Using Data ◽

Related Harm

Decision-making on having firearms at home may be contingent on perceptions of the likelihood of their negative and positive outcomes. Using data from a nationally representative survey (n=4030) conducted during 30 July 2019 to 11 August 2019, we described how US adults living in firearm-owning households perceived the relative likelihood of firearm-related harm by injury intent (‘accidentally harm self or someone else with a gun’, ‘injure self on purpose with a gun’ and ‘injure someone else on purpose with a gun’) for groups at risk of compromised decision-making (children; adolescents and individuals with mental health issues, substance use disorders or cognitive impairment). We found that US adults living in firearm-owning households believe that unintentional firearm injuries are more likely than intentional self-inflicted or assault-related firearm injuries, despite evidence to the contrary. Prior evidence indicates that communicating risk in relative terms can motivate behaviour change; therefore, findings from this study might helpfully inform health communications around firearm safety.

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Factors Influencing Professional Help-Seeking for Suicidality

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000485 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 175-196 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Jin Han ◽

Philip J. Batterham ◽

Alison L. Calear ◽

Rebecca Randall

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Service Use ◽

Qualitative Studies ◽

Systematic Evaluation ◽

Health Issues ◽

Professional Help ◽

Mental Health Issues ◽

Factors Influencing

Abstract. Background: Evidence suggests that the majority of people with suicidality do not seek help. Little systematic evaluation of factors influencing professional help-seeking has been done. Aims: To systematically evaluate the factors that influence professional help-seeking for suicidality. Method: Published quantitative and qualitative studies in Medline and PsycInfo databases were reviewed following PRISMA. Results: In all, 55 relevant studies were identified. Of these, 15 studies examined professional help-seeking intentions for perceived suicidal ideation, among people with or without suicidality; 21 studies examined professional help-seeking behavior among people with suicidality; and 19 studies examined suicidal decedents' health services use. Several potential important barriers were identified including high self-reliance, lack of perceived need for treatment, and stigmatizing attitudes toward suicide, toward mental health issues, and toward seeking professional treatment. The presence of suicidality and mental health issues was found to generally decrease help-seeking intentions for perceived suicidal ideation while facilitating actual service use. Social support and informal support from family and friends also played an important role in professional help-seeking. Limitations: Although the majority of the included studies were of sound quality, some of the factors identified in the review were assessed in relatively few studies, and most of the included studies were conducted in industrialized countries. Conclusion: Further quantitative and qualitative studies examining the potential important factors in broader community samples, especially in developing countries, are needed.

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