Analyzing the Correlation Between the Absence of Linguistically Aligned Mental Resources and Adverse Teen Outcomes in Chicago Southside Neighborhoods
Session Number
Project ID: BHVSO 09
Advisor(s)
Dr. Riley Tucker, University of Chicago
Discipline
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Start Date
17-4-2024 8:55 AM
End Date
17-4-2024 9:10 AM
Abstract
Chicago southside neighborhoods are systemically underfunded which limits opportunities for youth. The youth in these neighborhoods face the reality of having improper educational resources and the trauma that comes from gang violence within these neighborhoods. We have developed the following research question: Do Chicago neighborhoods have more negative teen outcomes when mental health resources aren’t offered in the main language of the neighborhood?
A properly funded neighborhood offers individuals support that will set them up for success. As lower-income neighborhoods lack mental health resources among other inequities such as language barriers, this may lead to negative teen outcomes. In the current work, we created maps to visually examine whether there is a correlation between the areas where Latino adolescents reside in Chicago and the negative outcomes experienced by teens.
Additionally, publicly available data on current mental health resources will be analyzed, focusing on the languages offered. The anticipated results include insights into how language diversity influences a teen's access to services. In the future, survey data on teens ages 12 to 19 aiming to attain information on language prevalence within their neighborhoods would help us further understand the linguistic landscape and mental health support systems within communities.
Analyzing the Correlation Between the Absence of Linguistically Aligned Mental Resources and Adverse Teen Outcomes in Chicago Southside Neighborhoods
Chicago southside neighborhoods are systemically underfunded which limits opportunities for youth. The youth in these neighborhoods face the reality of having improper educational resources and the trauma that comes from gang violence within these neighborhoods. We have developed the following research question: Do Chicago neighborhoods have more negative teen outcomes when mental health resources aren’t offered in the main language of the neighborhood?
A properly funded neighborhood offers individuals support that will set them up for success. As lower-income neighborhoods lack mental health resources among other inequities such as language barriers, this may lead to negative teen outcomes. In the current work, we created maps to visually examine whether there is a correlation between the areas where Latino adolescents reside in Chicago and the negative outcomes experienced by teens.
Additionally, publicly available data on current mental health resources will be analyzed, focusing on the languages offered. The anticipated results include insights into how language diversity influences a teen's access to services. In the future, survey data on teens ages 12 to 19 aiming to attain information on language prevalence within their neighborhoods would help us further understand the linguistic landscape and mental health support systems within communities.