Stress in Bangladesh: Are Changes in Life Circumstances and Perceived Stress Related to Changes in Crime, Deviance, and Depression?

• In Event: Cross-National Assessments of Criminological Theories

Abstract

Stress process theories posit that changing life circumstances can increase stress and trigger crime, deviance, or depression under certain conditions (cf. Agnew 1992; Pearlin et al. 1981). Despite ample supportive evidence in Western nations, the few studies in other international contexts have produced mixed findings. The current paper examines relationships between changes in life circumstances, perceived stress, and behavioral/mental health outcomes using two waves of survey data from a random sample of 489 adults in Bangladesh’s Dhaka District. Results show changes across two years in life circumstances (e.g., financial hardship; neighborhood crime; marital status; childbirth; residential move; death of loved one) are largely unrelated to changes in subjective stress, crime, deviance, and depressive symptoms. However, increases in perceived stress are associated with increases in deviance and depressive symptoms, but not with crime. Further, perceived stress is more strongly associated with crime, deviance, and depression in rural areas and is more strongly related to depressive symptoms among women and when social support is not available. Overall, results may suggest that structural and cultural characteristics of nations impinge on stress processes by shaping whether “objective” life circumstances are normatively perceived as subjectively stressful and by influencing normative responses to subjective stress.

Authors

• Jonathan R. Brauer, Indiana University

• Marijana Kotlaja, University of Nebraska at Omaha

• Christine A. Mair, University of Maryland, Baltimore County