Victimization, Stress, and Psychological Well-being: An Analysis of the 2009 Canadian Victimization Survey

This study addresses several methodological and theoretical gaps in extant literature that has examined victimization and its correlation with resultant mental health outcomes. The 2009 Canadian GSS Victimization [cycle 23] survey, comprising of 19,422 participants aged 15 years or older, was used to examine: (1) the extent to which different forms of victimization are related to stress, psychological well-being (i.e., self-report mental health and life satisfaction), and substance abuse behavior; (2) whether stress acts as a mediator in the relationship between victimization and mental health outcome measures; (3) if low total household income moderates the association between victimization and mental health. It was found that several types of victimization significantly predicted greater levels of stress, poorer self-report mental health and lower levels of life satisfaction, as well as greater odds of engaging in alcohol and drug use behavior. It was also determined that perceived stress mediates (either fully or partially) the relationship between some forms of victimization and psychological well-being (i.e., measurement of self-report mental health and life satisfaction, but not substance abuse). Although very limited support is found for the third hypothesis, it was determined that low THI modifies the association between physical/sexual assault and life satisfaction to predict a stronger negative correlation, compared to the main effect; low THI modifies the association between personal victimization and high alcohol use to predict a stronger positive correlation. Agnew’s General Strain Theory (1992), Pearlin’s Stress Process (1981), and the causation hypothesis are used to inform the discussion of results. Future research/policy directions are discussed

What differentiates prisoners who attempt suicide from those who experience suicidal ideation? A nationally representative study

Objective: Many people who think about suicide do not engage in suicidal behavior. Identifying risk factors implicated in the process of behavioral enaction is crucial for suicide prevention, particularly in high-risk groups such as prisoners. Method: Cross-sectional data were drawn from a nationally representative sample of 17,891 prisoners (79% men) in the United States. We compared prisoners who attempted suicide (attempters; n = 2,496) with those who thought about suicide but never made an attempt (ideators; n = 1,716) on a range of established risk factors. Results: More than half (59%) of participants who experienced suicidal ideation had also attempted suicide. Violent offending, trauma, brain injury, alcohol abuse, and certain mental disorders distinguished attempters from ideators. Conclusion: Our results fit within recent ideation-to-action theories that emphasize the role of a capability for suicide in the transition from thoughts to acts of suicide

The Relationship between Age and Suicidal Thoughts and Attempted Suicide among Prisoners

Background Suicide is a major problem across the lifespan, yet rates are highest among middle-aged and older adults; a trend which remains relatively stable across varying sociological settings, including prisons. Despite this understanding, there is limited knowledge on the nature of suicidal thoughts and attempts among older prisoners, especially with respect to how they compare to younger counterparts. The present study aimed to increase insight into the relationship between age and suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide among prisoners, with particular focus on factors that may explain age-based variability. Results Cross-sectional data were drawn from a nationally representative sample of 18,185 prisoners housed within 326 prisons across the United States. In general, analyses revealed that: (a) attempted suicide was more commonly reported among younger prisoners, while suicidal ideation was more commonly reported among older prisoners; (b) the relationship between age and probability of reporting suicidal thoughts and behavior is curvilinear; (c) younger and older prisoners exhibit somewhat differing predictive patterns of suicidal thoughts and behavior (e.g., physical illness is directly associated with suicidal history for younger prisoners, whereas the effect of physical illness on suicidal history for older prisoners is mediated by depression). Conclusions There is evidence to suggest that suicidal thoughts and behavior may manifest differently for younger and older prisoners, with differing patterns of risk. More research is needed on age-based variability in suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide among prisoners, as well as those factors that might explain this variability. Importantly, future research must continue to investigate the nature of suicidal thoughts and behavior among older prisoners

‘I don’t want to be alive’: Suicidal ideation and attempted suicide among prison inmates

Suicide is a serious public health concern and prisoners represent a particularly high-risk group. Though research on the suicidality of prison inmates has gained considerable momentum in recent decades, there are several underexplored areas of inquiry. The purpose of this dissertation was to add knowledge to three underexplored avenues of research. First, very limited research has used a multi-level methodological approach to investigate how both micro-level prisoner and macro-level prison characteristics contribute to suicidal thoughts and behaviour among prison inmates. Second, rates of suicide are highest among middle-aged and older adults; yet, little is known about the nature of suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide among older prison inmates, especially with respect to how they compare to younger counterparts. Third, suicide attempters represent a heterogenous group, whereby repeat-suicide attempters are clinically distinct from single-suicide attempters; however, most prison-based research has examined suicide attempters as a homogenous group, with a paucity of research which has aimed to identify factors that distinguish repeat-suicide attempters from single-suicide attempters. This dissertation used the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, a cross-sectional survey which collected data on a nationally representative sample of 18,185 prison inmates in the U.S. Results from the first study (Chapter 2) highlight that both micro-level prisoner and macro-level prison characteristics are important to consider as correlates of suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide. This study also highlights variations in predictive patterns for suicidal thoughts versus attempted suicide, as well as gendered patterns with respect to predicting suicidal thoughts/attempts. Results from the second study (Chapter 3) suggest that suicidal thoughts/attempts may manifest differently for younger and older prisoners, with differing patterns of risk. Results from the third study (Chapter 4) emphasize the importance of acknowledging the heterogeneity of suicide attempters, as repeat-suicide attempters potentially possess a differing risk profile as compared to single-suicide attempters. The collective results from this work may be of great use for prison administrators and mental health professionals working in prison settings who want to reduce suicide-related issues or otherwise improve the well-being of at-risk prisoners

Inmate mental health predicting the likelihood of physical and verbal assault on correctional staff

Most research on inmate prison violence examines inmate-on-inmate assaultive behavior, whereas considerably less attention has been paid to inmate-on-staff assault and the factors underlying this relationship. The present study uses the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities 2004, which includes 18,185 respondents, to examine whether inmates who suffer from symptoms of poor mental health or clinical mental disorders are more likely to physically and verbally assault correctional staff in prison and why. Logistic regression was used to examine inmates’ mental health status in predicting the likelihood of physical and verbal assault. It was found that those displaying symptoms of mental health issues related to anger and psychosis were more likely to physically assault correctional staff; inmates with symptoms of anger, psychosis, and anxiety were more likely to verbally assault staff. Inmates with clinical disorders related to schizophrenia and mood disorders were more likely to physically assault correctional staff; those with a diagnosis of personality disorder were more likely to verbally assault staff. It was also found that, when comparing types of mental health problems, inmates exhibiting certain mental health disorders/symptoms were at a greater risk of victimizing staff. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed