TY - JOUR
T1 - Examining the role of familial support during prison and after release on post-incarceration mental health
AU - Wallace, Danielle
AU - Fahmy, Chantal
AU - Cotton, Lindsy
AU - Jimmons, Charis
AU - McKay, Rachel
AU - Stoffer, Sidney
AU - Syed, Sarah
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
©The Author(s) 2014.
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - A significant number of prisoners experience mental health problems, and adequate social support is one way that facilitates better mental health. Yet, by being incarcerated, social support, particularly family support, is likely to be strained or even negative. In this study, we examine whether familial support - either positive or negative - in-prison and after release affects mental health outcomes post-release. Using the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) dataset, we regress post-release mental health on in-prison familial support, post-incarceration familial support, and changes in familial support. We find that while in-prison family support does not affect mental health, post-release familial support does. Also, experiencing an increase in negative familial support is associated with lower post-incarceration mental health. We conclude with a discussion of policies which may facilitate better familial support environments.
AB - A significant number of prisoners experience mental health problems, and adequate social support is one way that facilitates better mental health. Yet, by being incarcerated, social support, particularly family support, is likely to be strained or even negative. In this study, we examine whether familial support - either positive or negative - in-prison and after release affects mental health outcomes post-release. Using the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) dataset, we regress post-release mental health on in-prison familial support, post-incarceration familial support, and changes in familial support. We find that while in-prison family support does not affect mental health, post-release familial support does. Also, experiencing an increase in negative familial support is associated with lower post-incarceration mental health. We conclude with a discussion of policies which may facilitate better familial support environments.
KW - familial support
KW - incarceration
KW - mental health
KW - release
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84949524359&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84949524359&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0306624X14548023
DO - 10.1177/0306624X14548023
M3 - Article
C2 - 25156422
AN - SCOPUS:84949524359
SN - 0306-624X
VL - 60
SP - 3
EP - 20
JO - International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
JF - International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
IS - 1
ER -