A. Describe the social problem.
Poverty is a state in which income is insufficient to provide basic needs. Lack of control over resources, lack of education and poor health. There is a multidimensional component which may cause one to lack the ability to care for the basic needs for themselves as well as their families. Poverty can cause alienation and be very distressing. On a very concerning level are the indirect effects of poverty on the development and ones continued wellbeing in regards to emotional, behavioral and psychiatric problems.
Measurement of poverty is based on income and consumption levels. People are considered poor if their consumption or income levels fall below the poverty line. The poverty line is the minimum level necessary to meet basic needs (Townsend, 1979).
B. Analyze the social problem.
According to article (Poverty, social inequality and mental health, 2004, para2). Poverty and social inequality have direct and indirect effects on the social, mental, and physical wellbeing of an individual or group of people.
Income inequality produces psychological and psychosocial stress. This stress will trickle down and may cause increased health problems and an influx in mortality rates over time in these lower socioeconomic classes. This is caused by a lack in community investment in the social and physical infrastructure (Wilkinson, 1996).
The effects of income inequality also trickle down into society. This trickle effect may cause increased stress, frustration, and cause families to lose their cohesiveness, which then increases the rates of crime, homicide and violence. This unfortunate social problem may last for generations and the cycle unfortunately just keeps recycling itself. (Wilkinson, 1996).
In bridging the gaps, the world health organization (1995). The effects poverty can have on society are often interrelated. This inadvertently causes a chain reaction to occur so that one problem hardly ever occurs on