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Exergaming in Older People Living with HIV Improves Balance, Mobility and Ameliorates Some Aspects of Frailty

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Depression in elderly life sentence prisoners.

Nicholas Murdoch¹, Paul Morris, Clive Holmes

¹Memory Assessment and Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. kitnocks@zoom.co.uk

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

|April 9, 2008

Summary

Depression is common in older prisoners serving life sentences. Chronic physical ill health, not imprisonment itself, is the primary risk factor for depression in this vulnerable population.

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Area of Science:

Geriatric Psychiatry
Criminology
Public Health

Background:

The aging prison population, particularly those serving life sentences, presents a growing concern.
Limited understanding exists regarding the prevalence and causes of depression among elderly prisoners.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the prevalence of depression in elderly prisoners serving life sentences.
To identify risk factors associated with depression in this demographic.

Main Methods:

A study involving 121 elderly prisoners with life/indeterminate sentences in UK prisons.
Utilized the Geriatric Depression Scale to assess depression.
Analyzed the correlation between depression scores and prison-specific/non-specific variables.

Main Results:

Over 50% of participants scored above the threshold for mild depression.
No significant association found between depression scores and sentence length or other prison-related factors.
A strong correlation was identified between depression scores and pre-existing chronic physical ill health.

Conclusions:

Depression is highly prevalent among elderly prisoners serving long sentences.
The primary driver of depression in this population appears to be chronic physical ill health, rather than the effects of incarceration itself.