OBJECTIVES: Over 4.53 million arrests were made in 2021 in the United States. People under 26 were more likely to be arrested than those who were older. Although mental health disparities have been found in the incarcerated population, the subject was not closely examined for young adults. This study explores the relationship between a history of arrest and mental health concerns in adults between 18 and 25 years old.

METHODS: We analyzed secondary data using the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The study used a subsample of 13,494 people aged 18 to 25, including 7330 women and 6164 men. The history of arrest was the independent variable. Depression, serious mental illness (SMI), substance use, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt were the outcome variables. We performed five binary logistic regression models for each outcome variable, controlling for race/ethnicity, income, and education level.

RESULTS: Of 13,494 respondents, 6.63% had a history of arrest. Among young women, a history of arrest was associated with significantly higher adjusted odds ratios for all mental health concerns. Most notably, a history of arrest increased the likelihood of substance use by a factor of 15.19, suicide attempts by 2.27, SMI by 1.79, suicide ideation by 1.75, and depression by 1.52. Among young men, a history of arrest was associated with increased adjusted odds ratios for substance use (AOR=13.37, p<0.001), suicidal ideation (AOR=1.45, p=0.011), and suicide attempt (AOR=1.82, p=0.044).

CONCLUSIONS: We found a strong relationship between young people having a history of arrest and mental health concerns. Moreover, among young women, a history of arrest affected all mental health concerns, while it was associated with only substance use and suicide among young men. Providing arrestees with appropriate mental health care would benefit them and the criminal justice system by decreasing the odds of repeated arrests.