Mental distress and experience of legal problems
Psychological distress and mental illness have been shown to be among the factors most powerfully associated with problems arising in people’s lives that raise legal issues.
This briefing paper presents data from the Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS) concerning experience of justiciable problems and mental distress.
Key findings
Implications and way forward
Psychological distress and mental illness have been shown to be among the factors most powerfully associated with problems arising in people’s lives that raise legal issues.
Psychological distress and mental illness have been shown to be among the factors most powerfully associated with problems arising in people’s lives that raise legal issues.
Publication resources
Discover how people understand and engage with the law
The Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS) is ground-breaking research to understand legal capability, attitudes, and experience of the law in Victoria.
Related publications
Targeted and tailored engagement is necessary to increase awareness of young people's everyday justiciable problems and available legal help.
For young people, links between employment problems and mental health are particularly strong, with psychological distress a common consequence.
Single parents have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to experiencing multiple substantial legal problems.
Explore the knowledge, skills and attributes that are required to effectively understand and use the law.
-Volume-2_COVER.jpeg)
Dr McDonald’s paper considers the question of just how much “legal” understanding or help different people require to enjoy access to justice, and just what type of research evidence we need to know.
The full PULS questionnaire along with commentary on the questions.
How People see the Law, Lawyers and Courts in Australia.
Explore how justiciable problems are experienced, what people do about them, and how they progress and conclude (if they conclude).
-20Volume-201_600x848_WEB.jpeg)
Understand better justice
Data and empirical evidence to help understand access to justice and build a better justice system.