| Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author | Rebecca S Allen |
| Author | Laura Lee Phillips |
| Author | Lucinda Lee Roff |
| Author | Ronald Cavanaugh |
| Author | Laura Day |
| Abstract | PURPOSE: With the rapid growth in the older inmate population, emerging issues regarding physical and mental health require greater research and clinical attention. We examined the relation of religiousness/spirituality; demographic characteristics such as age, race, and type of crime; and physical and mental health among 73 older male inmates in the state of Alabama. DESIGN AND METHODS: Inmates older than age 50 who passed a cognitive screening completed face-to-face interviews lasting between 30 and 60 min. Due to the low literacy rates of the participants, we administered all measures orally with response cards to facilitate understanding. RESULTS: Nearly 70% of the inmates were incarcerated for murder or sexual crimes. There were no racial/ethnic differences in reported religiousness/spirituality, demographic characteristics, or mental health. We found an association between self-reported years of incarceration and experienced forgiveness. Three regression models examined whether inmates' self-reported religiousness/spirituality influenced anxiety, depression, and desire for hastened death. We found that having a greater number of daily spiritual experiences and not feeling abandoned by God were associated with better emotional health. IMPLICATIONS: Future studies, perhaps using longitudinal or case-control methodology, should examine whether increased daily spiritual experiences and decreased feelings of abandonment by God foster better mental health among older inmates. |
| Publication | The Gerontologist |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 692-697 |
| Date | Oct 2008 |
| Journal Abbr | Gerontologist |
| ISSN | 0016-9013 |
| URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18981285 |
| Accessed | Fri Nov 13 19:32:40 2009 |
| Library Catalog | NCBI PubMed |
| Extra | PMID: 18981285 |
| Date Added | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
| Modified | Sat Oct 1 16:55:15 2011 |
We examined the relation of religiousness/spirituality; demographic characteristics such as age, race, and type of crime; and physical and mental health among 73 older male inmates in the state of Alabama. Nearly 70% of the inmates were incarcerated for murder or sexual crimes. There were no racial/ethnic differences in reported religiousness/spirituality, demographic characteristics, or mental health. We found an association between self-reported years of incarceration and experienced forgiveness.