Police Behavior and Community Depression: A Mediation Mechanism

Depression is a common mental health problem with consequences ranging from mild impairment to complete incapacity. Depression amplifies co-occurring health conditions’ costs, putting people at risk for a range of cardiovascular diseases, pain, sleep disturbances and other mental health conditions. Exposure to stressors is recognized as a potential risk factor for developing depression. One attribute influencing one’s stressor exposure and available resources is the individual’s neighborhood. Typically assessed neighborhood elements include social disorder, gun violence, perceived safety and crime. This dissertation considers everyday police interactions, specifically arrests, at a community level and its relationship with depressive symptoms. The first aim evaluates the relationship and potential race differences in the relationship. The second aim examines the potential mechanism between community-level arrests, previous police encounters, perceptions of unfairness in police encounters—a measure capturing elements of procedural justice—and depressive symptoms. Using data from the Sinai Community Health Survey 2.0 (2015-16), the Chicago Police Department and the American Community Survey, this dissertation contributes to the sparse research on everyday policing as a community stressor and the growing consensus concerning procedural justice’s importance for police officers and community members.