Posttraumatic stress, panic disorder, violence, and recidivism among local jail detainees.

Posttraumatic stress, panic disorder, violence, and recidivism among local jail detainees. Int J Prison Health. 2019 Dec 05;15(4):366-375 Authors: Combs E, Guston K, Kopak A, Raggio A, Hoffmann NG Abstract PURPOSE: Most research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and offending has been conducted with special populations (e.g. veterans and female inmates) and generally overlooks the additive effect of panic disorder (PD) in offending patterns. The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence of PTSD and PD among jail inmates, while simultaneously examining the relationships between these disorders, offending types and frequency. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A random sample of adults recently booked into a local county jail participated in the Comprehensive Addictions and Psychological Evaluation-5 (CAAPE-5), a structured psychological assessment. The study sample was comprised of 200 male and 83 female inmates. FINDINGS: Indications of PTSD were observed among 44.0 percent of male inmates and 57.8 percent of female inmates. Most male inmates (78.4 percent) with positive PTSD indications also met criteria for PD, with a similar proportion (78.1 percent) of female inmates also meeting criteria for both. The combination of PTSD and PD was not associated with offending frequency, but inmates presenting indications of both PTSD and PD were more likely to be charged with a violent offense relative to those with onl...
Source: International Journal of Prisoner Health - Category: Criminology Authors: Tags: Int J Prison Health Source Type: research