science
Sociologist Thomas S. Langner Dies at 102 After Leading Midtown Manhattan Study on Mental Health
Thomas S. Langner, a sociologist who contributed to the Midtown Manhattan Study, died on March 16 at his home in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. The study, published in 1962, examined 1,660 residents on Manhattan's East Side and found that 18.5 percent were psychologically well adjusted while 23 percent showed significant impairment.
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Thomas S. Langner, a sociologist, died on March 16 at his home in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. He was 102. A family member confirmed the death. Langner helped lead the Midtown Manhattan Study, which examined mental health among New Yorkers.
The study, published in 1962, examined residents on Manhattan's East Side and found correlations between mental health and social, cultural,
The study challenged the view in psychiatry that biological and individual factors primarily drive mental illness.
It indicated correlations between mental impairment and low socioeconomic status. Contemporary media covered the study's top-line findings.
The Midtown Manhattan Study provided data on how social, cultural, and economic forces relate to mental health.
It focused on residents in a specific urban area of New York City. The findings contributed to discussions in sociology and psychiatry about environmental influences on mental well-being. Langner's work occurred during a period when mental health research expanded to include broader societal factors.
The study remains a reference in academic literature on urban mental health. No immediate details were available on funeral arrangements.
