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Age, cumulative trauma and stressful life events, and post-traumatic stress symptoms among older adults in prison: do subjective impressions matter?
- Authors:
- MASCHI Tina, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 51(5), October 2011, pp.675-686.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Ageing prison populations presents a public health challenge with high rates of trauma and mental health issues. This study investigated the relationship between age, objective and subjective measures of trauma, stressful life events, and post-traumatic stress symptoms among older adults in prison. Participants included 334 older prisoners from the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Anonymous self-reports was sent to the total population of 1,000 prisoners aged 55 years and older. Objective and subjective trauma was measured using the Life Stressors Checklist-Revised, and post-traumatic stress symptoms were measured using the Civilian Version of the Post-traumatic Stress Scale. Findings indicated that past year subjective impressions of traumatic and stressful life events had a positive and significant relationship to current post-traumatic stress symptoms. Age was found to have a significant and inverse relationship to subjective traumatic and stressful life events, with relatively younger prisoners reporting higher levels of cumulative traumatic and stressful life events. Implications for re-entry planning of older adults in the criminal justice system are considered.
Trauma and stress among older adults in the criminal justice system: a review of the literature with implications for social work
- Authors:
- MASCHI Tina, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 54(4), May 2011, pp.390-424.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Older adults are the fastest growing sector of the prison population. Older adults in the criminal justice system often have more physical health problems than those in the community, especially chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Unaddressed trauma and stress among aging prisoners may have significant consequences on their physical and mental health. The purpose of this article was to review the research literature that investigated trauma and stress among older adults in the criminal justice system. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify empirical studies published between 1988 and 2010 examining trauma or life stressors in adults aged 50 and older in the criminal justice system. A total of 19 articles were identified. These included 11 studies using mixed age samples of adjudicated older and younger adults and 8 studies using older adult only samples. The article discusses the findings in the areas of: history of traumatic and stressful experiences; consequences and correlates of traumatic and stressful experiences; and coping resources as a protective factor. The implications and future directions for gerontological social work, research, and policy with older adults in the criminal justice system are discussed.