RESEARCH ARTICLE
Traumatic brain injury and mental health outcomes among recently incarcerated men
Chantal Fahmy,
Alexander Testa,
Dylan B. Jackson,
Corresponding Author
Chantal Fahmy
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, College for Health, Community and Policy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Correspondence
Chantal Fahmy, 501 West Cesar E. Chavez Blvd., San Antonio, Texas, 78207, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAlexander Testa
Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorDylan B. Jackson
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this author
Chantal Fahmy,
Alexander Testa,
Dylan B. Jackson,
Corresponding Author
Chantal Fahmy
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, College for Health, Community and Policy, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Correspondence
Chantal Fahmy, 501 West Cesar E. Chavez Blvd., San Antonio, Texas, 78207, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAlexander Testa
Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
Search for more papers by this authorDylan B. Jackson
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this author
First published: 10 July 2023
Abstract
This study examined the association between experiencing a traumatic brain injury (TBI) before or during incarceration and several postrelease negative mental health consequences in a cohort of men recently released from prison. The goal of the study was to explicate the variety of mental health–related issues incurring a TBI has on one's ability to successfully reintegrate back into society following incarceration. Using data from the LoneStar Project, we used ordinary least squares regression and logistic regression to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms, stress, trauma flashbacks, and psychosis in a representative sample of men released from Texas prisons (N = 498) approximately 9 months post–prison release. Recently released men with a history of head injury exhibited higher levels of depression, B = 0.204, 95% CI [.071, .337]; stress, B = 0.266, 95% CI [.116, .416]; experiencing trauma-related flashbacks, odds ratio (OR) = 2.950, 95% CI [1.740, 5.001]; and psychosis, OR = 3.093, 95% CI [1.601, 5.975], compared to their non–head-injured counterparts. TBIs—whether sustained before or during incarceration—pose significant risks for adverse mental health outcomes, particularly for recently released individuals during the already challenging and strained period of reintegration.
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