Measuring the quality of life of incarcerated individuals

Abstract

Purpose Measuring quality of life (QoL) under incarceration can be used to track successful rehabilitation and risk of re-offending. However, few studies have measured QoL among general incarcerated populations, and it is important to use psychometrically strong measures that pose minimal burdens to respondents and administrators. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The aim of this analysis was to explore the utility of a short generic tool measuring overall QoL, the QOL5, in an incarcerated population. The authors drew data from the Norwegian Offender Mental Health and Addiction Study, a cross-sectional survey of 1,499 individuals from Norwegian prisons. Findings Factor analysis suggested a unidimensional structure that explained 53.2 percent of variance in QoL scores. Intrascale correlations were high and internal consistency was acceptable (α=0.764). The QOL5 was strongly correlated with mental health, moderately correlated with exercise frequency and weakly correlated with ward security. Practical implications The QOL5 is a short measure that presents minimal burden to respondents and administrators. The authors recommend its further use in incarcerated populations to measure overall QoL as well as cross-cultural adaptation and validation in more languages. Originality/value In this analysis of the largest published sample to date of incarcerated individuals and their QoL, the QOL5 appears to be an acceptable and valid measure of overall QoL.

Factors associated with drug use in prison – results from the Norwegian offender mental health and addiction (NorMA) study

“…During 2014 the average prison population was 3717, and our sample thus includes approximately 40% of the population (Kriminalomsorgen, 2015). A full description of the study methods (Bukten et al, 2015) and previous publications based on the NorMA study have been published earlier (Muller & Bukten, 2019;Muller et al, 2018;Rognli et al, 2017).…”

Quality of Life in Jail: Gender, Correlates, and Drivers in a Carceral Space

“…Scholars have also linked post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to QOL in a sample of women who were incarcerated in a state prison: Increased symptom severity was associated with decreased psychological and environmental QOL (Prost, Middleton, et al, 2019). Physical health is also an important correlate: Muller and Bukten (2019) note that exercise frequency is related positively to overall QOL and Hepatitis C infection is related negatively to overall QOL, though no relationship emerged between a diagnosis of Hepatitis C and health-related QOL in persons who were incarcerated in prison in another study (Thein et al, 2006).…”

“…For administration, QOL serves as an important outcome in the evaluation of mental and behavioral health programs including treatment gains and therapeutic alliance (Muller & Bukten, 2019; Williams, 2003). Feedback from men and women incarcerated in jails regarding their QOL supports intervention tailoring and may influence successful re-entry (Bouman, de Ruiter, & Schene, 2008).…”

“…Similarly, a more recent analysis found that women aged 45 years or older in a U.S. state prison rated their QOL as highest for physical health and lowest for the environment using the WHOQOL-BREF (Prost, Middleton, & McDonald, 2019). Another study found that respondents more often responded with “good” (38.1%) or “very good” (22.9%) to the query “how do you consider your physical health at the moment?” Compared to questions related to mental health, social relationships, and oneself, these proportions also indicate higher ratings of physical health when compared with other domains (Muller & Bukten, 2019).…”

“…No known studies have examined dimensions, correlates, and gender disparities in quality of life (QOL) among persons incarcerated in U.S. jails despite the intimate connections between physical and mental health and QOL in non-carceral settings (Bize, Johnson, & Plotnikoff, 2007; Fleury et al, 2013; Fortin et al, 2004; Nunes, Flores, Mielke, Thume, & Facchini, 2016). Furthermore, links between QOL and mental and behavioral health (e.g., psychological distress; Muller & Bukten, 2019), executive functioning (Combalbert, Pennequin, Ferrand, Keita, & Geffray, 2018), suicide risk and self-harm (Combalbert et al, 2019; De Smet et al, 2017), and rehabilitation (Williams, 2003) have been found in samples of persons who are incarcerated in prisons. Knowledge regarding the QOL of persons who are incarcerated in jail is important for enhancing well-being among these vulnerable groups due to links between QOL and numerous health outcomes.…”