SELF-PERCEIVED AGING AMONG THE SOCIALLY INSULATED - AGE DIFFERENCES AMONG INCARCERATED ADULTS

• NCJ Number: 67593
• Author(s): J BURKHEAD; J BURKHEAD
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 20 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

IN THIS LEXINGTON, KY., STUDY OF SELF-PERCEIVED AGE AMONG 263 INCARCERATED ADULTS, SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENTS OF AGE WERE SHOWN TO BE LINKED TO HEALTH AND SELF-ESTEEM BUT NOT TO INCARCERATION LENGTH.

Abstract

THE STUDY INVOLVED 263 RESPONDENTS, MALES OVER 55 FEMALES OVER 50, FROM THREE FEDERAL PRISONS THAT RANGE FROM MAXIMUM TO MINIMUM SECURITY. TWO OF THE THREE PRISONS SEXUALLY SEGREGATED. RESPONDENTS WERE GIVEN A 75-MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE WHICH CONSISTED OF SELF-DESCRIPTIVE ITEMS AND EMPLOYED A LIKERT-TYPE SCALE. THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES WERE CONSIDERED: A DEPENDENT VARIABLE, SELF-PERCEIVED AGE; INDEPENDENT VARIABLES (ANOMIE, SELF-ESTEEM, LIFE SATISFACTION, SELF-REPORTS OF CHRONOLOGICAL AGE, LENGTH OF INCARCERATION, AND NUMBER OF HEALTH CONDITIONS); AND CONTROL VARIABLES (SEX, RACE, AND LENGTH OF INCARCERATION). SELF-EVALUATED HEALTH WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT PREDICTOR OF PERCEIVED AGE; THE SECOND MOST CONSISTENT PREDICTOR WAS SELF-ESTEEM. ALIENATION WAS POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SUBJECTIVE AGE FOR MALES AND MINORITY GROUP MEMBERS, BUT IT WAS NEGATIVELY ASSOCIATED FOR FEMALES. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT IMPRISONMENT HAS AN INDIRECT EFFECT ON SUBJECTIVELY ASSESSED AGE BECAUSE IT ALTERS THE SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF AGE PERCEPTION. A MAJOR FINDING OF THE STUDY IS THAT THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM AND SUBJECTIVELY PERCEIVED AGE DECREASES AS THE LENGTH OF INCARCERATION INCREASES. THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE PIVOTAL NATURE OF THE 'DEGRADATION' CRISES ASSOCIATED WITH ARREST, TRIAL, CONVICTION, AND IMPRISONMENT SERVES TO LOWER AN INDIVIDUAL'S SELF-ESTEEM, BUT INDIVIDUALS, AS THEY ADJUST TO IMPRISONMENT AND ARE TEMPORARILY SEPARATED FROM THE INITIAL NEGATIVE IMPACT OF ARREST AND TRIAL RECOVER SELF-ESTEEM. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE ELDERLY IN THE LARGER SOCIETY ARE UNLIKELY TO EXPERIENCE THE RECOVERY OF SELF-ESTEEM AS THE 'DEGRADATIONS' ASSOCIATED WITH DECLINING HEALTH, IMPAIRED SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, AND DECREASED SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE SERVE TO UNDERMINE THEIR SELF-ESTEEM. TWO TABLES AND ABOUT 40 REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (MFE)