The feasibility of following up prisoners, with mental health problems, after release: a pilot trial employing an innovative system, for engagement and retention in research, with a harder-to-engage population

Table 1 Participant descriptors (N = 185)

Descriptor	Mean (standard deviation)
Age (years)^a	32.70 (10.21)
Number previous prison sentences	7 (11)
Number previous community sentences	3 (3)
Current sentence (months)	9 (7)
	Before prison (N (%))
Accommodation^b
Significant need	98 (53)
No significant need	65 (35)
Information missing	22 (12)
Employment
Paid SE/FT/PT	55 (30)
Retired	2 (1)
FT education	4 (2)
Unemployed, looking for work, cannot work	109 (59)
Other	14 (8)

FT full-time, PT part-time, SE self-employed
^aN = 184 for age, as one record had this recorded as ‘OK’
^bSignificant need = residential or sheltered housing, hostel, homeless, living on street, staying with friend or family but with own room, ‘sofa surfing’; no significant need = house or flat owned by participant (including with mortgage), house or flat rented from housing association or local authority, or house, flat, or room rented from private landlord; other = other or missing data

ISSN: 1745-6215