Neuropsychological functioning of inmates referred for psychiatric treatment

This article describes the Neuropsychological (NP) functioning of 71 psychiatrically hospitalized male prisoners. Demographic description, patterns of drug use, patterns of violence, psychiatric diagnosis, and performance on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB) are described. Using age and education adjusted norms (Heaton, Grant, & Matthews, 1991), 84% of this sample demonstrated impairment on the Halstead Impairment Index. Sensory Exam-Left, Tapping Dominant and Non-Dominant, Speech Perception, Tactual Performance Test Times/Memory/and Location, Trailmaking A and B, and Category Test were all impaired. Multivariate Analyses (MANOVAS) demonstrated significantly impaired performance on tasks of Motor, Psychomotor, and Reasoning, with FTT-Dominant, TPT-Total, and Category Test contributing the most meaningful contribution to the multivariate effect. Varimax Rotated Principle Components Analysis revealed a five-factor model (Motor, Learning, Attention, Abstraction, and Processing Speed), which accounted for 69.9% of the total variance. Need for further research, and implications for the use of this information in developing treatment programs for psychiatrically disturbed prisoners are discussed.