Behavioral Health Services Use Among Drug-Abusing Offenders: Additional Support for a Modified Andersen and Newman Framework

• NCJ Number: 215949
• Journal: Corrections Compendium Volume: 31 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2006 Pages: 1-6
• Author(s): J. Matthew Webster; Allison Mateyoke-Scrivner; Paul J. Rosen; Michele Stanton Tindall; Thomas F. Garrity; Carl G. Leukefeld
• Date Published: July 2006
• Length: 6 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 DA11309
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the effectiveness of a modified Andersen and Newman model for identifying individual factors that were associated with lifetime behavioral health service use among substance abusing offenders.

Abstract

Results indicated that the modified Andersen and Newman model could be extended for the examination of factors related to the use of mental health services, but should not be extended to predict lifetime use of substance abuse services. Specifically, there was a significant relationship between self-reported mental health problems and physical health problems and the use of mental health services among drug-involved offenders. Substance use problems and patterns of drug use were unrelated to the use of mental health services. Other findings revealed that living in a rural area was related to greater use of mental health services, although rural living was linked to lower levels of substance abuse services usage. The findings suggest that correctional institutions should work toward increasing the availability of behavioral health services to inmates to allow them to access services they might not receive in the community. The study was part of a larger study on the use of health services among incarcerated substance abusers both before and after incarceration. Participants were 661 male, drug-involved offenders serving sentences in 4 Kentucky correctional facilities who completed face-to-face interviews that focused on their health, health services use, drug use, mental health, HIV-risk behavior, violence, and spirituality. Data analysis involved the use of hierarchical linear regression models to test how sociodemographic variables, drug and criminal history, and physical and behavioral illnesses were related to the first and lifetime use of mental health and substance abuse services. Followup studies should attempt to replicate these findings with other samples to further assess the validity of the modified Andersen and Newman model. Tables, references