The mental health consequences of dealing with self-inflicted death in custody

Authors: Wright, L.¹; Borrill, J.¹; Teers, R.¹; Cassidy, T.¹

Source: Counselling Psychology Quarterly, Volume 19, Number 2, June 2006 , pp. 165-180(16)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Key:

- Free Content

- New Content

- Subscribed Content

- Free Trial Content

Abstract:

The impact of dealing with a death in custody was explored in 49 prison officers who had dealt with such an event in the period 3-7 months prior to the study. A 36.7% incidence rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was identified. Optimism, avoidance problem solving style, prior experience of suicide and level of involvement in the incident were direct mediators of the impact of the event for the total sample, while perceived control, emotional support and other aspect of problem-solving style had an indirect effect. Separate analysis of the PTSD and non-PTSD groups showed that the only mediator for the PTSD group was prior experience. For the non-PTSD group a range of variables mediated the impact. It is argued that this provides a case for preventive rather than treatment interventions.

Keywords: Death in custody; suicide; mental health impact

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/09515070600811824

Affiliations: 1: Division of Psychology, Hawthorn Building, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$45.29 plus tax Refund Policy