Abstract

Objectives

I sought to identify racial disparities in visitation and health between Non-White and White older adults incarcerated in prison and to examine the contribution of visitation to health among this vulnerable population.

Methods

Descriptive and bivariate statistics were calculated to describe the cross-sectional sample and relationships between visitation and health. Independent t-tests, Chi-square tests, and effect sizes were used to identify racial disparities in measures of and relationships between visitation and health. Hierarchical multiple linear regression was used to examine the contribution of visitation to physical functioning, chronic disease, and mental health.

Results

Older adults rated their physical functioning higher than their mental health. Over 70% of older adults received zero visits during their current incarceration (∼13 years) and White older adults received 10 times the number of visits than Non-White older adults. Increased visitation related to decreased physical functioning among Non-White older adults, a relationship distinct from that of White older adults (z=-3.14, p<.001) and visitation contributed to variation in older adults’ mental health.

Conclusion

Future scholars are encouraged to examine factors associated with visitation and the quality of such visits for older adults. Further, visitation policies warrant amendment to increase visits and to enhance social support for older adults.

中文翻译：

---

监狱中被监禁的老年人在探视和健康方面的种族差异

摘要

目标

我试图找出被监禁的非白人和白人老年人在探视和健康方面的种族差异，并研究探视对这一弱势群体健康的贡献。

方法

计算描述性统计数据和双变量统计数据来描述横截面样本以及就诊与健康之间的关系。使用独立t检验、卡方检验和效应大小来确定访问量与健康之间关系的种族差异。使用分层多元线性回归来检查探视对身体机能、慢性疾病和心理健康的贡献。

结果

老年人对身体机能的评价高于心理健康。超过 70% 的老年人在当前监禁期间（~13 年）接受了零探视，而白人老年人接受的探视次数是非白人老年人的 10 倍。非白人老年人的探视增加与身体机能下降有关，这种关系与白人老年人不同（z=-3.14，p <.001），探视会导致老年人心理健康的变化。

结论

鼓励未来的学者研究与探视相关的因素以及老年人探视的质量。此外，探视政策需要修改，以增加探视次数并加强对老年人的社会支持。