Incarceration, Subjective Wellbeing and Self-Rated Health

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

There is growing interest in the relationship between incarceration and health disparities. Incarceration is argued to be a fundamental cause of health because it serves as a source of stigma upon reentry, which is related to stress, because it limits employment opportunities and detrimentally impacts social relationships, and because it introduces prisoners to infectious disease. Another mechanism that may underlie the relationship between incarceration and health that has not received much attention is subjective wellbeing. This research uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine the relationship between incarceration, subjective wellbeing and self-rated health.

Author

• Eileen E.S. Bjornstrom, University of Missouri