Health of women ex‐prisoners

Abstract

In an attempt to assist understanding of the specific health problems of women prisoners, the research reported here described the health of a volunteer group of female ex‐prisoners (N = 30), comparing them with a group of women from similar life circumstances who had not been imprisoned (N = 30), and with data from an Australian community study. The following instruments were administered: a structured interview; General Health Questionnaire (30 item) (GHQ‐30) Medical Outcomes Study. Short Form‐36 items (SF‐36) Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K‐BIT). Physical and mental health effects specifically related to imprisonment were examined. Both ex‐prisoners and non‐prisoners had poor mental and physical health compared‐with Australian women generally. This poor level of health functioning was probably related to the method of recruitment of the sample, reflecting the fact that women from poor socioeconomic levels who are receiving help from welfare agencies tend to be in poor health. The ex‐prisoners functioned even lower than the non‐prisoners in relation to their general health, and the findings indicate that their serious physical and mental health problems may be related to a history of substance abuse, violence, and disrupted family background.