title: Age, cumulative trauma and stressful life events, and post-traumatic stress symptoms among older adults in prison: do subjective impressions matter?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aging prison population in the United States presents a significant public health challenge with high rates of trauma and mental health issues that the correctional system alone is ill-prepared to address. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of age, objective, and subjective measures of trauma and stressful life events and post-traumatic stress symptoms among older adults in prison.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were gathered from 334 prisoners (aged 55+) housed in the New Jersey Department of Corrections, as of September 2010. An anonymous self-report, self-administered survey was mailed to the total population of 1,000 prisoners aged 55 years and older. Objective and subjective trauma was measured using the Life Stressors Checklist-Revised (LSC-R), and post-traumatic stress symptoms were measured using the Civilian Version of the Post-traumatic Stress Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results of a path analysis revealed that past year subjective impressions of traumatic and stressful life events had a positive and significant relationship to current post-traumatic stress symptoms. Age was found to have a significant and inverse relationship to subjective traumatic and stressful life events. That is, younger participants reported higher levels of cumulative traumatic and stressful life events and past year subjective ratings of being bothered by these past events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings have significance for interdisciplinary/interprofessional practice and appropriate institutional and community care, including reentry planning of older adults in the criminal justice system.
authors.affiliation: Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, New York, NY 10023, USA. tmaschi@fordham.edu
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maschi
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morgen
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zgoba
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Courtney
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ristow
mesh_terms: D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology