The Impact of Imprisonment on Depression for Young Adult Men: A Propensity Score Approach with Pooled Samples

• In Event: Mental Health and Incarceration

Abstract

There is a growing body of research examining the causal link between incarceration and health. This paper uses a propensity score matching approach and pooled samples of young adult white, black, and Latino men (National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, Survey of Inmates in State Prison) to estimate the causal effect of incarceration on depression. The two control groups are men who have never been incarcerated or arrested (n = 3,597) and men who have been arrested but never incarcerated (n = 1,038). The two treatment groups are men incarcerated for the first time for 1 year or less (n = 287) and men who are incarcerated for the first time for at least one year (n =1,385). We find that there is not an estimated causal effect of imprisonment for young adult men who have been incarcerated for less than 1 year compared to matched controls. But, there is an estimated causal effect of imprisonment for young adult men who have been incarcerated for at least 1 year. Overall, the findings suggest a potential dose-response relationship with different levels of exposure to the prison environment.

Authors

• Kathryn M Nowotny, University of Miami

• Oshea Johnson, University of Miami

• Kaitlin Pericak, University of Miami