Religiousness/Spirituality and Mental Health among Older Male Inmates

Autor/inn/en	Allen, Rebecca S.; Phillips, Laura Lee; Roff, Lucinda Lee; Cavanaugh, Ronald; Day, Laura
Titel	Religiousness/Spirituality and Mental Health among Older Male Inmates
Quelle	In: Gerontologist, 48 (2008) 5, S.692-697 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0016-9013
Schlagwörter	Well Being; Mental Health; Religious Factors; Depression (Psychology); Racial Differences; Institutionalized Persons; Males; Older Adults; Demography; Age Differences; Crime; Physical Health; Death; Interviews; Rape; Altruism; Prosocial Behavior; Correctional Institutions; Regression (Statistics); Models; Anxiety; Alabama + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Psychohygiene; Rassenunterschied; Male; Männliches Geschlecht; Älterer Erwachsener; Demografie; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Crimes; Delict; Delicts; Delikt; Gesundheitszustand; Sterbefall; Tod; Todesfall; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Sexueller Missbrauch; Sexuelle Gewalt; Vergewaltigung; Altruistic behavior; Altruismus; Jugendstrafvollzug; Regression; Regressionsanalyse; Analogiemodell; Angst
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. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Gerontological Society of America. 1030 15th Street NW Suite 250, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-842-1275; Fax: 202-842-1150; e-mail: geron@geron.org; Web site: http://www.geron.org/journals/gsapub.htm
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10