Physical and mental health upon reentry: The importance of social contact in prison for wellbeing during reintegration.

OBJECTIVES

Incarceration is associated with adverse mental and physical health outcomes that are exacerbated during the post-release period. Social contact with loved ones during imprisonment-such as in-person visits, phone calls, and written correspondence-may play a key role in mitigating the health consequences of incarceration and promoting health upon release. The current study assesses how social contact during incarceration may mitigate health issues during the reentry period.

STUDY

DESIGN

The study uses data from a sample of 475 men incarcerated in Texas prisons interviewed prior to release and again one month into the reentry period.

METHODS

Ordered logistic regression models of in-prison social contact types (i.e., in-person visitation, sending/receiving mail, and making/receiving phone calls) and four groups of people (i.e., family members, friends, gang associates, and anyone else) who visited the incarcerated person in the last six months before prison release are utilized to predict self-reported physical health and mental health approximately four weeks post-release.

RESULTS

Mostly consistent with our hypotheses, findings reveal that in-person visitation during incarceration is positively associated with better physical health following release (odds ratio [OR] = 1.61; 95 % Confidence Interval [CI] = [1.05, 2.47]). Additionally, a closer examination of the in-person visitation groups revealed that visits from family members, but not the other three groups (i.e., friends, gang members, or anyone else), were positively associated with better self-reported physical health (OR = 1.88; 95 % CI = [1.28, 2.75]) and mental health (OR = 1.64; 95 % CI = [1.14, 2.37]).

CONCLUSIONS

The results affirm and highlight the unique role of familial relationships in promoting wellbeing during reentry. To promote in-person visitation, correctional systems should consider efforts to overcome key barriers and stressors related to family visits. Identifying individuals who lacked positive visitation experiences could inform targeted wraparound practices that prioritize counseling around family reunification and social connections with loved ones.