99 Problems, Is Depression One? Examining the Effect of Incarceration History on Depressive Symptoms

• In Event: 145 - Regular Session. Mental Health: Social Antecedents

Abstract

U.S. prisons are one of the fastest growing social institutions in the world. The funneling of persons into the prison system, however, has been overwhelmingly lopsided, as African Americans are incarcerated at six times the rate of white Americans. Explorations into the consequences of mass incarceration are pertinent. Extant literature has observed that incarceration has implications for physical health, social well-being, and, recently, mental health. However, racial differences in the consequences of incarceration are underexplored. In this study, I rely on longitudinal data from a sample of young adults in the NLSY97 (N=3,783) to explore how incarceration history impacts depressive symptoms and whether this relationship differs by race. Relying on stress process theory, I find that incarceration serves as a primary stressor, directly and detrimentally influencing depressive symptoms while simultaneously indirectly influencing depressive symptoms through secondary stressors. Additionally, I find preliminary evidence that suggests that stress process theory should be expanded to better account for differential health outcomes based on differential exposure to stressors.

Author

• Stacey Houston, Vanderbilt University