Good Example Of Research Paper On A Sociological Approach To Understanding The Association Between Psychotic Symptoms And Violence

Abstract

This research proposal paper analyzes the relationship of psychotic imbalance and violence. The paper proposes that, timely diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, and proper attention to the findings and supervision of mental disorders among critically ill patients may be effective strategies to prevent most kind of violence and to address the illness as a whole. The paper also analyzes and interprets the relationship of violence with psychotic illness in terms of various sociological approaches. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Problem Statement

What are the problem statement and/or purpose of the research study?
The research tries to find out the direct association of Psychotic situations and its connection with violent behavioral patterns in patients.
2. Does the problem or purpose statement express a relationship between two or more variables? If so, what is/are the relationship(s)? Are they testable?
The study tries to focus on identifying whether or in what way, high mental conditions such as bipolar disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and conditions like high depression guide to violent behavioral patterns.
Available information on mental illness and its relationship with violence were compiled and were made accessible through the National Survey based on Alcohol abuse and other Related Conditions. The results of this survey will also prove effective for reaching a conclusion in this research paper. (jamanetwork.com)

Does the problem statement and/or purpose specify the nature of the population being studied? What is it?

Data analyses reveals that, the occurrence of violence was seen elevated among people with acute mental disorders, but it seems to be only prominent among those patients who are addicted to various other substance abuse. The study reports and analyzes also highlights the fact that acute mental disorders alone is not the sole factor responsible for extreme violence; it was however related instead with other aspects including past violence instances (violence during young age, physical and sexual abuse during childhood, criminal background of parents), clinical aspects which includes drug abuse and background related factors like family problems which includes broken marriage relation, loss of job, trauma after being victimized in social or economic scandals, etc. One or more of the discussed issues were identified frequently by patients with acute mental disorders. (oxfordjournals.org)
Since acute mental disorders did not autonomously forecast the chances of the emergence of violent behavioral styles, the conclusions of the study poses a serious threat to the common notion and general observation that mental disorders are the sole reason of violent activities happening in the society and among the public. However, individuals with mind related disorders are true to cause more issues in terms of random violence. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Most of the violence reported has the involvement of a person with a mental illness associated with it. This is mainly because such individuals hold other associated aspects that trigger the outbreak of a violent behavior. As a result of this, finding out the exact connection between an individual’s act of violence and the existence of a record of mental illness needs systematic analysis and reflection of its deep rooted relationship with associated aspects like drug abuse, external stress factors, as well as a track record of earlier act of violence due to an emotional breakdown. (clockss.org)
Lot of scientific researches and studies were conducted on the functional association between mental disorders and violent behavioral patterns during the last 2 decades. These studies have shown significant development in finding out the major associated factors which are directly attributed as reasons for triggering violent behavior among vulnerable patients who are mentally ill. Psychologists, Psychiatrists and various other professional working and researching in topics related to mental health have gathered concrete proofs on various aspects of violence and mental illness. They now have a system to evaluate and predict the probability of a patient turning into an epicenter of a violent attack in the near future. Most of the recent studies are on identifying the subtle aspects of the connection between psychotic illness and violence. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Certain researches seem to support a transparent connection linking mental conditions and instances of violence, on the contrary certain other researches backs the concept that uncontrolled administration of alcohol and certain types of drug abuse, adds to more violence when compared to mental illness. This was identified in studies conducted among adults with psychotic illness as well as alcoholism victims. This study reports, thus created a wave of controversies and arguments relating to mental health area. This finding also spread a new light to the age old notion and interpreted perceived relationship between mental disorders and instances of violence. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The authentic writings on the relationship between psychotic disorders and violence are not decisive due to multiple reasons. Nevertheless, to ascertain that mental disorders induce violence, it is predominantly required, even though not enough to establish that psychotic disorders results in acts of violence at a later point of time in the affected person’s life; nonetheless, researches carried out reveals relationships between earlier instances of violence and the presence of psychotic illness in the patients later life time. (clockss.org)
4. What significance of the problem, if any, has the investigator identified? Why should we care?
Secondarily, longitudinal analysis and studies mainly concentrated their attention on the hazard caused due to violence among patients who are presently undergoing treatments under medical supervision rather than analyzing individuals who belong to a general category. However these studies were conducted among limited samples and a conclusive decision whether acute mental disorders is a self-determining threat aspect for violence cannot be fully proved. (clockss.org)
This research tries to address the missing links in the scientific literature by making use of an enormous nationwide data so that different aspects of the research question can be addresses which are as follows.
(1) what all are the major threats that could effectively project the occurrence of violent behavior in an individual (2) whether acute psychotic illness evolve as a potent reason for violent behavioral pattern for an individual in their later life (3) how dissimilar threat factors might forecast multiple types of violent behaviors.

Literature review

What concepts are included in the review? Of particular importance, note those concepts that are the independent and dependent variables and how they are conceptually defined.
Upon a close study about the topic, it can be seen that most of the studies in the past has concentrated on the individual with the psychotic disorders. Most of the researches omitted the role of the sociological transaction that ended up in a violent behavior. As a result of this, we could learn only little than the actual required knowledge regarding the types of such associations and the relative background reasons of violence.

What gaps or conflicts in knowledge of the problem are identified (if any)?

However, the available literature backs early diagnosis and medical intervention of drug abuse issues, and offers extreme care to the analysis and administration of coexisting drug abuse issues among patients who are mentally ill as effective strategies to check violence. (jamanetwork.com)

Hypotheses

What hypotheses or research questions are stated in the study?
Numerous broad findings are backed by this concise overview. The primary one is that, mental illnesses are neither required, nor enough to result in violence. The main factors that result in violence persist to be social, economic as well as demographic. All these factors trigger the increase in violence. Other factors like male gender of young age group, and being member of low income strata of the society are also factors that trigger violence. (jamanetwork.com)

What are the independent and dependent variables in the statement of each hypothesis or research question?

The dependent variables include factors like social status of the respondents, cultural background, educational back ground, and early childhood experiences. Independent variables are genetic history of mental illness and drug abuse.

References

Stuart, H. (n.d.). Violence and mental illness: An overview. Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1525086/
The Intricate Link Between Violence and Mental Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=210191
(n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://btci.edina.clockss.org/cgi/reprint/8/2/171.pdf
(n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/1/91.full.pdf