Introduction

The number of older prisoners with mental health issues released from prisons and forensic psychiatric institutions is rising. Their successful integration is important due to its implications for the public's safety and the individual's health and well-being. However, reintegration efforts are hampered due to the double stigma attached to ‘mental illness’ and ‘incarceration history’. To alleviate the burden of such stigma, affected persons and their social networks employ stigma management strategies. This study sought to investigate the stigma management strategies of mental health professionals supporting older incarcerated adults with mental health issues in their reintegration process.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews with 63 mental health professionals from Canada and Switzerland were carried out as part of the overall project. To address the reintegration topic, data from 18 interviews were used. Data analysis followed the thematic analysis approach.

Results

Mental health professionals emphasized the double stigmatization of their patients which impaired their quest for housing. Lengthy searches for placement frequently resulted in patients' unnecessary long stays in forensic programs. Nevertheless, participants outlined that they were at times successful in finding appropriate housing for their patients due to the use of certain stigma management strategies. They stated that they, first, established initial contacts with outside institutions, second, educated them about stigmatizing labels and, third, provided ongoing collaboration with public institutions.

Discussion

Incarcerated persons with mental health issues face double stigmatization that affects their reentry process. Our findings are interesting as they illustrate ways in which stigma can be reduced, and how the reentry process can be streamlined. Future research should include the perspectives of incarcerated adults with mental health issues to shed more light on the various options that they seek for successful reintegration after imprisonment.

中文翻译：

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有心理健康问题的老年被监禁成年人重返社会期间的耻辱管理：定性分析

介绍

从监狱和法医精神病机构释放的患有心理健康问题的老年囚犯人数正在增加。它们的成功整合非常重要，因为它对公众安全以及个人的健康和福祉产生影响。然而，由于“精神疾病”和“监禁历史”的双重耻辱，重返社会的努力受到阻碍。为了减轻这种耻辱的负担，受影响的人及其社交网络采用了耻辱管理策略。本研究旨在调查心理健康专业人员在重返社会过程中为有心理健康问题的老年被监禁者提供支持的耻辱管理策略。

方法

作为整个项目的一部分，对来自加拿大和瑞士的 63 名心理健康专业人士进行了半结构化访谈。为了解决重返社会问题，我们使用了 18 次访谈的数据。数据分析遵循主题分析方法。

结果

心理健康专家强调，患者遭受的双重耻辱阻碍了他们寻求住房。长时间的安置搜索经常导致患者不必要地长期停留在法医项目中。尽管如此，参与者指出，由于使用了某些耻辱管理策略，他们有时能够成功地为患者找到合适的住房。他们表示，首先，他们与外部机构建立了初步联系，其次，教育他们有关污名化标签的知识，第三，与公共机构提供持续的合作。

讨论

患有精神健康问题的被监禁者面临着双重耻辱，影响了他们的重返进程。我们的研究结果很有趣，因为它们说明了减少耻辱的方法以及如何简化重返过程。未来的研究应包括有心理健康问题的被监禁成年人的观点，以更多地了解他们在入狱后成功重返社会所寻求的各种选择。