title: Ethnic differences in prisoners. 2: risk factors and psychiatric service use.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The high rates of psychiatric morbidity in prisoners vary between ethnic groups.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare early environmental risks, stressful daily living experiences and reported use of psychiatric services in prisoners from different ethnic groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey of 3142 prisoners in all penal establishments in England and Wales in 1997.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fewer Black and South Asian male prisoners reported childhood traumas and conduct disorder, and fewer Black prisoners experienced stressful prison experiences, than White prisoners. Fewer Black women had received previous psychiatric treatment, and fewer Black men had their psychiatric problems identified in prison. Black prisoners were less likely to have received psychiatric treatment than Whites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lower prevalence of psychiatric morbidity observed in Black prisoners corresponds with reduced exposure to risk factors. Higher rates of imprisonment might be explained by higher rates of conduct disorder, adolescent-onset criminality and disadvantage within the criminal justice system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. J.W.Coid@qmul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coid
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petruckevitch
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bebbington
authors.forename: Traorach
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brugha
authors.forename: Dinesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bhugra
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: Glyn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singleton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology