Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Social Class And Mental Illness Correlation: Implications Of The Research For Policy And Practice, Christopher G. Hudson

Christopher Hudson

Ongoing efforts to unravel the causal issues involved in the correlation between socioeconomic status and mental illness suggest that the hypothesis of a recursive or interactive relationship may be the most tenable, at least with the psychoses. Implications of this research are explored, with particular attention paid to the mental health costs of economic policies, the principles with which states allocate mental health resources, and the use of this knowledge-base in service planning.

The Homeless Of Massachusetts: An Analysis Of The 1990 U.S. Census S-Night Data, Christopher G. Hudson

Christopher Hudson

This article, which examines epidemiological and policy correlates of homeless populations in 351 Massachusetts towns and cities, is based on an analysis of data from the 1990 U.S. census. It reviews the reliability of the most recent census data, reports findings on the distribution and characteristics of homeless persons in Massachusetts, and presents preliminary correlational findings on the impact of key demographic conditions and policies.

The report includes a meta-analysis of several studies that monitored the Census Bureaus street counts. It is estimated that 42.6 percent of the homeless on the streets in selected urban areas were counted by the …

Churning In The Human Services: Nefarious Practice Or Policy Of 'Creative Destruction'?, Christopher G. Hudson

Christopher Hudson

This article examines churning as it manifests in organizational systems within the human services. Churning is conceptualized as a four-part iterative process consisting of (1) an intentional or unintentional initiative or shock to a system that (2) results in enhanced turbulence as adaptive capacities of the system fail to match demands of the initiative. This mismatch leads to successive bifurcations and termination of relationships between agents within the system and, finally, (3) the selection of “winners” and the extrusion of “losers” from the system and (4) the subsequent reorganization of winners and losers. Variables governing outcomes, both benign and malignant, …

Estimating Homeless Populations Through Structural Equation Modeling, Christopher G. Hudson

Christopher Hudson

This article overviews the results from a test of a model of homeless populations throughout the 3,141 counties of the United States. The data were extracted from the 1990 Census, a Census Bureau survey of its enumerators at completion of the census, and other governmental sources. The model was tested using the generally weighted least squares algorithm, as implemented under the Extended LISREL model. It was found that urbanization, servicetization, McKinney funding, and systematic error arising out of more vigilant enumeration efforts in urban areas, collectively explained 80% of the variation in rates of homelessness. The model was then used …

Patterns Of Residential Mobility Of People With Schizophrenia: Multi-Level Tests Of Downward Geographic Drift, Christopher G. Hudson

Christopher Hudson

This study tests the geographic drift hypothesis that the negative SES-MI correlation results from individuals first developing conditions such as schizophrenia and then moving frequently because of their disability to low income and urban areas, and to neighborhoods with high concentrations of SMI persons. This is a secondary analysis of hospital records of 1,667,956 individuals in Massachusetts, USA, between 1994 and 2000. It employs a longitudinal cohort design and techniques of multi-level modeling. Downward geographic drift of those with schizophrenia was found to be small, but greater than other groups examined. The small level of drift was best explained by …

Mental Health And Social Policy. Beyond Managed Care (6th Ed.). David Mechanic, Donna D. Mcalpine, And David A. Rochefort. Reviewed By Christopher G. Hudson, Christopher G. Hudson

Christopher Hudson

David Mechanic, Donna D. McAlpine, and David A. Rochefort, Mental Health and Social Policy: Beyond Managed Care (6th ed.). Pearson (2014). $120.47 (paperback).

Changing Patterns Of Acute Psychiatric Hospitalization Under A Public Managed Care Program, Christopher G. Hudson

Christopher Hudson

This study evaluates changes in patterns of acute psychiatric hospitalization under Massachusetts' Medicaid-funded Mental Health and Substance Abuse (MMHSA) carve-out program. The data consists of the Case Mix Database, for FY 1996 and FY 1997, compiled by the state's Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, on all acute hospital episodes in the state. Key comparisons involve hospital utilization during the nine months preceding the 1996 implementation of the current expanded carve-out program and the subsequent 15 months of its implementation. Secondary comparisons are made between patients funded by the state's two major Medicaid programs, its behavioral carve-out and its …