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Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Assessment of Long-term Depression Induction in Adult Cerebellar Slices
Published on: October 16, 2019
Incarcerating juveniles in adult prisons as a factor in depression
Irene Y H Ng1, Xiaoyi Shen, Helen Sim
1Department of Social Work, National University of Singapore, Singapore. swknyhi@nus.edu.sg
Background:
While existing research has shown higher prevalence of depression among incarcerated youths compared with non-incarcerated youths, none has studied incarceration as a cause of depression.
Aims/Hypothesis:
This study suggests that incarceration, in particular placement of youths in adult incarceration, is a factor in developing depression.
Method:
A records based comparison of depression among youths in different types of incarceration with non-incarcerated youths, controlling for other predictors of depression, namely offence type, family poverty, parents' history of incarceration and demographic profile.
Results:
Youths in adult placements were significantly more likely to be depressed than youths in juvenile placements and community-based youths.
Conclusion And Implications:
The findings suggest that there are mental health implications against incarcerating youths in adult prisons, a concern that current juvenile justice might not have considered adequately.
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