A Meta-analysis of the Mental Health Status of the Prison Police

By means of the meta-analysis, a systematic assessment of the mental health status of the prison police is conducted. 22 reports concerning the research of the mental health of the prison police during the years between 2002 to 2013 using the Symptom Check list 90(SCL-90)are included in the analysis. The results showed that the mental health status of the prison police is lower than the national norm(0.190,95%CI:0.108～0.272), which is roughly the same level for army norms(0.033,95%CI:-0.043～0.109)The most serious factors in dire need of attention are somatization, depression, anxiety and compulsion. The mental health status is found rather steady in the duration of the study. There exists no significant difference between male and female police in their mental health status. The age and regional difference have certain effect on the mental health. In terms of the hostility the young police were generally worse than middle-aged police, yet in terms of somatization the middle-aged police were worse than their younger peers. The police working in inland regions suffer more serious hostility than those working in eastern coastal areas. Sensitivity is of good stability in this study and no significant publication bias analysis was found.