GERIATRIC DEPRESSION AND COPING STRATEGIES OF PENALIZED OLDER ADULTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31674/mjn.2019.v10i04.009Abstract
The older adult prisoners are the most vulnerable to the pressures and the harsh conditions in the prison environment which may be deteriorating and compromising both to their physical and mental health conditions. We have turned our attention towards this research to learn about both physical and psychological status of the older adult prisoners. Using a descriptive design, we gathered data through face-to-face interview using the questionnaires: Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form and Coping Strategies Inventory. The researchers also assessed the physical condition through review of systems. Results revealed that there are physical issues experienced by the older prisoners which are common in old age. There is mild to severe depression among 80% of the participants. Despite the remarkable physical and mental situations, they are in, there are several positive coping strategies used by the older prisoners in dealing with their everyday challenges inside prison. Nursing as a profession are non-selective and non-discriminatory in caring even to these neglected yet vulnerable group. The results of the study may be utilized in understanding the current situation of this sector to provide appropriate interventions and strategies catering to their needs in health and well-being
Keywords:
Older Adult, Prisoners, Geriatrics, Depression, CopingDownloads
References
Aday, R.H., Krabill, J.J. (2012). Older and geriatric offenders: critical issues for the 21st century. In L. Gideon (ed), Special Needs Offenders in Correctional Institutions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Anno, B.J., Graham, C., Lawrence, J.E. & Shansky, R. (2004). Correctional Health Care: Addressing the Needs of Elderly, Chronically Ill, and Terminally Ill Inmates. Washington,DC: National Institute of Corrections, US Department of Justice; 2004. NIC Accession No. 018735.
Baidawi, S. (2016). Older prisoners: psychological distress and associations with mental health history, cognitive functioning, socio-demographic, and criminal justice factors. International Psychogeriatrics, 28(3), pp 385-395
Baidawi, S., Turner, S., Trotter, C., Browning, C., Collier, P., O'Connor, D. & Sheehan, R. (2011). Older prisoners - A challenge for Australian corrections. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 426, pp 1–8.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change.Psychological Review, 84(2), pp 191-215.
Bjørkløf, G.H., Engedal, K., Selbæk, G., Kouwenhoven, S.E. & Helvik A.S. (2013). Coping and depression in old age: a literature review. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 35, pp 121-154.
Crawley, E. (2005). Institutional thoughtlessness in prisons and its impact on the day-to-day prison lives of the elderly men. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21(4), pp 350- 363.
Crawley, E. & Sparks, R. (2005). Hidden Injuries? Researching the Experiences of Older Men in English Prisons. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 44(4), pp 345-356.
De Guzman, A., Santos, J.I., Santos, M.L., Santos, M.T., Sarmiento, V., Sarnillo, E. & Sarsagat, J. (2010). Traditional Filipino Arts in Enhancing Older People’s Self-Esteem in a Penal Institution. Educational Gerontology, 36(12), pp 1065-1085.
Greenberg, S. (2012). The geriatric depression scale (GDS). General assessment series. Try This: Best Practices in Nursing Care to Older Adults. The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing.
Haney, C. (2002). From prison to home: The effects of incarceration and reentry on children, families, and communities. National Policy Conference: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Urban Institute.
Kakoullis, A., Le Mesurier, N. & Kingston, P. (2010). The mental health of older prisoners. International Psychogeriatrics, 22(5), pp 693-701.
Lazarus, R.S. & Lazarus, B.N. (2006). Coping with Ageing, New York, Oxford University Press, pp 53-79.
Moos, R. (1974). Psychological Techniques in the assessment of adaptive behavior. Coelho GV, Hamburg DA, Adams JE (eds.). New York, Basic Books.
Murdoch, N., Morris, P. & Holmes, C. (2008). Depression in elderly life sentence prisoners. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(9), pp 957–962.
Parse, R.R. (1997). Human Becoming: Parse’s Theory of Nursing. Nursing Science Quarterly, 5(1), pp 35-42.
Patterson, E.B. (1991). Poverty, income, inequality and community crime rates. Criminology, 29(4), pp 755–776.
Poverty in The Philippines: Lack of Vision, Yet New Solutions. Retrieved From http://www.poverties.org/poverty-in-the-philippines.html
Williams, B.A., Lindquist, K., Sudore, R.L. & Walter, L.C. (2006). Being old and doing time: functional impairment and adverse experience of geriatric female prisoners. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54(4), pp 702-707.
Williams, B.A., Stern, M.F., Mellow, J., Safer, M. & Greifinger, R.B. (2012). Aging in correctional custody: setting a policy agenda for older prisoner health care. American Journal of Public Health, 102(8), pp1475-1481.
Wolff, N. (2005). Community reintegration of prisoners with mental illness: a social investment perspective. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 28(1), pp 43-58.