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A latest evaluation reveals that older adults with prior incarceration report worse bodily and psychological well being than their friends, even when they had been incarcerated within the distant previous. The findings are revealed within the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Among the many 1,318 US adults aged 50 years and older who responded to the Household Historical past of Incarceration Survey, 21% had been incarcerated. Previously incarcerated older adults had been extra more likely to be males, non-Hispanic Black or “other” race/ethnicity, meet standards for incapacity, be single, and have decrease revenue and schooling in contrast with these by no means incarcerated.
After adjusting for doubtlessly confounding components like demographics and socioeconomics, prior incarceration was related to an roughly 90% larger odds of reporting “fair” or “poor” bodily well being. Size of time since incarceration didn’t reasonable the affiliation, that means that even these incarcerated greater than 10 years in the past had equally poor self-reported well being. The affiliation with psychological well being was defined partially by revenue and employment.
The findings counsel that clinicians may contemplate screening for incarceration historical past and connecting previously incarcerated sufferers to providers and organizations that serve this neighborhood.
“Mass incarceration began in 1973, so older adults have spent most of their adult lives in this era and millions have been incarcerated in the past. It is critical to understand how incarceration—even in the distant past—may affect the health of older adults and what we can do to improve their health,” stated corresponding writer Louisa W. Holaday, MD, MHS, of the Icahn Faculty of Medication at Mount Sinai.
Extra data:
The lengthy shadow of incarceration: the affiliation of incarceration historical past with self-reported well being amongst older adults, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2025). DOI: 10.1111/jgs.70069
Quotation:
Prior incarceration may contribute to poor well being later in life (2025, October 8)
retrieved 8 October 2025
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