Health Status of Females Who Experience Incarceration: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: People who experience incarceration have poor health across a variety of indicators, but we lack population-level data on the health of females in particular. We examined the health status of females released from provincial prison, and compared their data with data for males released from provincial prison and females in the general population in Ontario, Canada in 2010. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using linked correctional and health administrative data. We compared sociodemographic data, morbidity, mortality, and use of health care for (1) females released from provincial prison in 2010, (2) males released from provincial prison in 2010, and (3) age-matched females in the general population. Results: Females in the incarceration group (N = 6,107) were more likely to have higher morbidity and specific psychiatric conditions compared with the male incarceration group (N = 42,754) and the female general population group (N = 24,428). Their mortality rate postrelease was several times higher than that for the female general population group. They used primary care more often than both comparator groups across all time periods, and they used emergency departments more often compared with the female general population group and in most periods postrelease compared with the male incarceration group. They also tended to have higher rates of medical-surgical and psychiatric hospitalization. Conclusion: Females who experience incarceration have worse health overall than males who experience incarceration and females in the general population. Efforts should be made to reform programs and policies in the criminal justice and health care systems to support and promote health for females who experience incarceration.

The prevalence, risk factors, and psychosocial impacts of acne vulgaris in medical students: a literature review.

Affecting approximately 9.4% of the population worldwide, acne vulgaris is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease. Medical students are exposed to higher levels of stress and have a higher prevalence of acne. However, the risk factors and the impact of acne on medical students' mental health remains poorly understood. The aim of this literature review is to: (i) summarize the prevalence and risk factors of acne vulgaris in medical students and (ii) highlight the impact of psychological consequences of acne in medical students. A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE and EMBASE in OVID, using variations in the following search terms: acne vulgaris, medical students, self-esteem, psychology, psychiatry, suicide, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, positive and negative effects, psychological well-being, anxiety, and depression. Studies that stated the prevalence or risk factors of acne vulgaris and/or examined the association between psychosocial effects and acne vulgaris in medical students were included. Eleven cross-sectional studies were included. The prevalence of acne vulgaris in medical students ranged from 34.38% to 97.9% across nine studies. Review of these articles revealed that acne prevalence is associated with stress, gender differences, and lifestyle factors in medical students. Acne had many negative psychological and social impacts on medical students including negative self-image, lower confidence, embarrassment, depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, and impaired social behaviors. Further research on the intersection between acne vulgaris and the mental health of medical students is needed.