A social problem is a social problem that has a negative impact on society.
There are various types of social problems. Poverty, inequality, discrimination, crime, unemployment, substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health issues, and many other issues are examples of social problems. They can be caused by a variety of factors, including political, cultural, economic, health, and educational issues.
Some of the common social issues in Kansas are briefly described below.
Substance abuse is one of Kansas’ most serious social problems. From 2015 to 2021, drug use in Kansas increased by 52.5% from 323 to 680. Kansas had the second-highest increase in drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to preliminary drug overdose data.
Tonya Ricklefs, associate professor and chair of the School of Social Work, said infection rates are increasing day by day due to factors such as curiosity, stress, self-medication, lack of parental care, and trauma. The reasons for using it vary from person to person. .
Another of the most significant social issues in Kansas is mental illness. Kansas ranks last in the nation in terms of mental health due to high rates of mental illness and barriers to care, according to a new report.
The report, based primarily on data from 2019 and 2020, found that 9% of youth in Kansas have a substance use disorder, more than any other state in the nation. More than a quarter of adults had a mental illness, and more than 6% had serious suicidal thoughts. Both are well above the national average.
“When people lack the support resources in their lives and communities, they start overthinking and overreacting, and as a result, they suffer from mental health problems,” Ricklefs says.
Violent crime, property crime, gun violence, and package theft occur more frequently in Kansas than in any other state.
According to the latest FBI data, the crime rate in the United States is 5,705.4 crimes per 100,000 people in Kansas City, Kansas. This is 143.20% higher than the national rate of 2,346.0 per 100,000 people.
“I think most of the crime rate is increasing because of the shortage of law enforcement officers. The more you restrict hiring, the fewer people are qualified to fill the job, and the more you have a shortage of people,” Washburn said. said Amy Memmer, associate professor and chair of criminal justice and legal studies at the university.
Similarly, another big problem in Kansas is homicide. According to the study (wibw.com), Kansas City had the highest spike in homicides among America’s largest cities in 2022.
Kansas City had the highest homicide rate, with a total score of 87.49%. In the third quarter of 2022, the per capita murder rate was 14.86%, which is approximately 4.89% higher than in 2021 and 2.04% higher than in 2020.
“I think murders are going up because we have law enforcement officers and they do a great job of responding. But to prevent all kinds of murders from happening in the first place, they have to need to be more proactive rather than reactive,” Memmer said. He said.
These types of problems are interrelated and the main issues that cause these instances are related to mental health. Both Ricklefs and Memmer believe this issue also affects Washburn students. Washburn needs to educate students about social issues that may cause problems in the future.
Edited by Lesha Davis and Gloriana Noland