Butler Tony, Allnutt Stephen, Kariminia Azar, Cain David
Centre for Health Research in Criminal Justice, Suite 302, Westfield Officer Tower, Eastgardens, NSW 2035, Australia.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2007 May;41(5):429-35. doi: 10.1080/00048670701261210.
To compare the mental health of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal prisoners in New South Wales.
The sample consisted of a cross-sectional random sample of sentenced prisoners, and a consecutive sample of reception prisoners. The sample was drawn from 29 correctional centres (27 male, two female) across New South Wales. Overall, 1208 men (226 Aboriginal), and 262 women (51 Aboriginal) participated in the study. Mental illness was detected using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI-A) and a number of other screening measures incorporated into the programme.
No differences were detected in mental illness between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal men, apart from depression, which was lower in the latter group. Aboriginal woman were more likely than non-Aboriginal women to screen positive for symptoms of psychosis in the prior 12 months and have a higher 1 month and 12 month prevalence of affective disorder; they also had higher psychological distress scores. Suicidal thoughts and attempts were the same in both groups.
These findings confirm that the demand for mental health services in prisons is considerable, and that Aboriginal women are one of the most vulnerable groups. Services and programmes providing an alternative to incarceration are needed, as are culturally sensitive approaches to treatment.
比较新南威尔士州原住民和非原住民囚犯的心理健康状况。
样本包括被判刑囚犯的横断面随机样本和接收囚犯的连续样本。样本取自新南威尔士州的29个惩教中心（27个男性，2个女性）。总体而言，1208名男性（226名原住民）和262名女性（51名原住民）参与了该研究。使用综合国际诊断访谈（CIDI - A）以及该项目中纳入的其他一些筛查措施来检测精神疾病。
除抑郁症外，原住民和非原住民男性在精神疾病方面未检测到差异，抑郁症在非原住民男性群体中发生率较低。在过去12个月中，原住民女性比非原住民女性更有可能筛查出精神病症状呈阳性，且情感障碍的1个月和12个月患病率更高；她们的心理困扰得分也更高。两组的自杀念头和自杀企图情况相同。
这些研究结果证实，监狱对心理健康服务的需求相当大，原住民女性是最脆弱的群体之一。需要提供替代监禁的服务和项目，以及具有文化敏感性的治疗方法。
