Effects of COVID-19 on the Mental Health Experiences of Inmates
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Authors
Jennings, Jordan
Issue Date
2024-03-29
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
COVID-19 , Incarcerated Individuals , Pandemic , Psychology--Mental Health
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to investigate how changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of inmates. Data utilized for the current study was archival. It was drawn from databases at a jail in the Midwest. Data was drawn from the records of 360 male and female inmates. Multiple Chi-Square Tests of Independence were used to investigate hypotheses of changes of mental illness over time. The study found no increase in diagnoses of mental illness. The number of mental health visits did increase from 2019 to 2020, then slightly decreased from 2020 to 2021. Some racial and gender differences were also found across the years. In addition, some support was found for the number of charges and potential mental illness. The current study adds to the literature, because it gives clinicians a better understanding about the mental health of the people during a rare worldwide pandemic. The study also adds to the literature because it utilizes inmates as participants, which are usually a difficult population to work with during research studies since they are a protected population.
Description
Citation
Publisher
Washburn University