[Screening for psychiatric disorders among prison inmates]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Context:

• Prison populations exhibit high rates of psychiatric disorders.
• Limited healthcare resources in correctional facilities necessitate efficient screening tools.
• The Global Symptom Index (GSI) of the Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90) is a validated measure for psychiatric symptoms.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the SCL-90, specifically its GSI, as a screening instrument for psychiatric disorders in a Norwegian prison population.
• To determine an optimal GSI cut-off score for identifying inmates with psychiatric conditions.

Summary:

• 187 inmates at Kristiansand County Prison completed the SCL-90 and underwent clinical psychiatric examination.
• A GSI cut-off score of 1.5 yielded the best performance, with a sensitivity of 0.78 and specificity of 0.87.
• The SCL-90 demonstrated good performance in identifying psychiatric disorders within this inmate cohort.

Impact:

• The SCL-90 can serve as a valuable and efficient tool for initial psychiatric screening in correctional settings.
• This study supports the use of the SCL-90 to optimize the allocation of limited mental health resources for inmates.
• Findings can inform the development of targeted mental healthcare strategies in prisons.