Contact with the Criminal Justice System, Social Support, and Depressive Symptoms in Women

Research suggests that individuals with arrest histories are at an elevated risk for depressive symptoms. Despite growing interest in this field of study, health concerns for women who have been arrested have not been thoroughly examined. In an effort to narrow this gap in the literature, this study analyzed data for 535 women who participated in the Mobile Youth and Poverty Study. Depressive symptoms and self-reports of mental health were compared for women with and without a history of arrest, and the potential role of social support as a buffer against the negative impact of arrest on mental health was examined. We hypothesized that a history of arrest is associated with more depressive symptoms, and that the effects would be stronger for women with low levels of social support than for women with high levels of social support. Preliminary analyses indicate that there is a significant relationship between having an arrest history and depressive symptoms. We did not, however, find evidence that social support moderated the relationship between arrest history and depressive symptoms. Results are discussed in terms of the lasting impact of criminal justice contact on health and other possible ways that social support might factor into the equation.