Functionalist Theory Of Poverty

Mental health has often been affected by socioeconomic status. Those that are living in poverty are more susceptible to developing a mental disorder, and this does not exclude children. In fact, children are most impacted by poverty than adults due to the fact that they are still developing and are sensitive to a changing environment. It is important to provide extra support outside of the home to children who may be at a higher risk of having a mental illness. School environment has a major obligation to provide support to students who are lacking at home. The school plays a major role in the development of the students within the community.
For years, sociologists have studied the physical and mental health effects of poverty on adults and …show more content…
This ideology is flawed, and that can be shown by the amount of people that live in poverty today. This theory would suggest that roughly 20% of the population lives in poverty simply because their title is unimportant to the function of society. Conflict theorists argue that the cause of poverty is that resources are limited and those that are able to access them have the power to ensure that they maintain the resources at any cost. This ideology is more applicable to poverty because we can see that those that do not live in poverty have far easier access to quality resources while those that live in poverty have little to nothing in comparison. Though there is much debate as to why poverty is such a huge problem, there is still agreement that poverty is an issue in American …show more content…
This number is on the rise due to the increasing number of people that are living in poverty. Halethorpe is a Title 1, meaning that most of the students live below the poverty line. Geographic location as well as social status plays a role in how likely the students are in developing mental disorders. Though a student may not live below the poverty line and may not face the same issues as many other students, being in the community surrounding the school may also play a role in the child 's mental health. In this particular school, there are an increasing number of Burmese refugee students. Though this is not a common population that is affected by poverty in the United States, this particular school has a high population of these students. Their risk of mental disorders is extremely high due to the fact that their family have left the country to escape genocide. The children are put through an extreme amount of stress with the state of their hometowns, trying to learn new languages, and their parents are having to work long hours to try and establish a job history and generate income to provide themselves and the rest of their families with necessities. The stress of entering new environments, potentially experiencing a family member or friend 's death, and at-home stress due to the rapid changes can all play a major role in developing a mental disorder. These students in particular are kept under