Self-reported physical health of inmates: Impact of incarceration and relation to optimism. Manuscript submitted for publication

This study investigated the relationship between inmates ’ physical health concerns and optimism. Optimism has been consistently associated with physical health in community samples, but little research has examined this potentially malleable variable in an inmate population. This study of 501 male and female jail inmates attempts to bridge this gap. Results showed optimism was negatively associated with physical health concerns upon entry to jail and prior to release or transfer. Additionally, optimism assessed upon entry to jail predicted modest decreases in physical health concerns over incarceration. Results suggest that optimism is a health-related variable that may be beneficial when optimism-increasing components are integrated into treatment. Keywords physical health, optimism, jail inmates, correctional health care From June 2005 to June 2006, the U.S. prison and jail population increased 2.8%, reaching 2,245,189 inmates (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2007). Housing these inmates is expensive and a substantial part of the cost is medical care, which totaled $3.3 billion in state prisons during 2001 (Stephan, 2004). One third of jail inmates in a nationally representative sample reported a physical health problem, many of which were present prior to incarceration (Maruschak, 2006; Maruschak & Beck, 2001). Inmates have a wide variety of health problems ranging from arthritis, asthma, and backaches to more serious diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, and tuberculosis (Conklin, Lincoln, &amp