Racial Variation in Mental Health Court Experiences and the Associations of These Experiences With Recidivism

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 808-828
Author(s):  
Woojae Han ◽  
Jason Matejkowski ◽  
Sungkyu Lee

Little is known about how mental health court (MHC) experiences (including satisfaction and sanctioning, incentivizing, and life change events) differ by race and how this variation affects recidivism among MHC participants. This study examined how MHC experiences and recidivism differ between White ( n = 170) and Black ( n = 132) participants from four different MHCs in the United Sates. Negative binomial regression models, conducted separately for the two groups, indicated that life changes were associated with decreased arrests and that court sanctions were associated with increased number of arrests for both White and Black participants. Higher program satisfaction was positively associated with recidivism among Black participants only. To provide equitable services for people convicted of a crime with mental illness, professionals should acknowledge racial variation in the experiences of MHC participants (both within the MHC and the communities in which they are situated) and how these experiences relate to recidivism.

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabella Buber ◽  
Henriette Engelhardt

Empirical evidence of the effects of age on depressive symptoms is mixed, ranging from positive to zero to negative effects, depending on the modelling of the age-depression profile. This paper uses internationally comparative data to analyse the association between age and the prevalence of symptoms of depression, controlling for well-known determinants of mental health. Based on the first wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), depressive symptoms of 28,538 persons aged 50 to 89 from eleven European countries and Israel are analysed using a negative binomial regression model. The results indicate that the number of depressive symptoms measured by EURO-D scores increase with age and are higher among women than among men. When including socio-demographic characteristics, health conditions and economic strains, the association between depressive symptoms and age vanishes for men, and even reverses for women. Thus, the association between age and mental health is mediated by the health and living conditions of older persons; age by itself has no explanatory power.


Author(s):  
Kevin Lanza ◽  
Casey Durand ◽  
Melody Alcazar ◽  
Sierra Ehlers ◽  
Kai Zhang ◽  
...  

Parks are settings for physical activity that can support the physical and mental health of children during the COVID-19 pandemic. We determined the impact of the pandemic on the use of joint-use parks outside of school hours by children in Austin, TX, United States. In autumn of 2019 and autumn of 2020 (i.e., before and during the COVID-19 pandemic), we used an adapted version of the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities to observe whether children aged 1–12 participated in physical activity (i.e., sedentary, light and moderate, vigorous) at three parks located at schools serving mostly economically disadvantaged Latinx families. In 2020, we also observed whether children maintained social distance and wore face coverings. Results of negative binomial regression modeling revealed the pandemic was associated with a 46% [95% CI: 20–63%] and 62% [95% CI: 39–76%] decrease in the number of girls and boys at parks, respectively, and a 42% [95% CI: 16–59%] and 60% [95% CI: 36–75%] decrease in the number of girls and boys engaging in physical activity, respectively (p < 0.01). In total, 60.6% of girls and 73.6% of boys were not social distancing, and 91.8% of the time no children wore masks. Interventions should be considered to safely reintroduce children to parks for health benefits during pandemics.


Author(s):  
Byron Creese ◽  
Zunera Khan ◽  
William Henley ◽  
Siobhan O’Dwyer ◽  
Anne Corbett ◽  
...  

BackgroundLoneliness and physical activity are important targets for research into the impact of COVID-19 because they have established links with mental health, could be exacerbated by social distancing policies and are potentially modifiable.MethodWe analysed mental health data collected during COVID-19 from adults aged 50 and over alongside comparable annual data collected between 2015 and 2019 from the same sample. Trajectories of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) were analysed with respect to loneliness, physical activity levels and a number of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics using zero-inflated negative binomial regression.Results3,281 people completed the COVID-19 mental health questionnaire, all had at least one data point prior to 2020. In 2020, the adjusted PHQ-9 score for loneliness was 3.2. (95% CI: 3.0-3.4), an increase of one point on previous years and 2 points higher than people not rated lonely, whose score did not change in 2020 (1.2, 95% CI: 1.1-1.3). PHQ-9 was 2.6 (95% CI: 2.4-2.8) in people with decreased physical activity, an increase of 0.5 on previous years. In contrast, PHQ-9 in 2020 for people whose physical activity had not decreased was 1.7 (95% CI: 1.6-1.8), similar to previous years. A similar relationship was observed for GAD-7 though the differences were smaller and the absolute burden of symptoms lower.ConclusionsAfter accounting for pre-COVID-19 trends, we show that experiencing loneliness and decreased physical activity are risk factors for worsening mental health during the pandemic. Our findings highlight the need to examine policies which target these potentially modifiable risk factors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 1276-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura N. Honegger ◽  
Kyle S. Honegger

There is a considerable overrepresentation of individuals with mental health issues within the U.S. criminal justice system as compared with the general population. Mental health courts (MHCs) arose in response to this concern, with a primary aim of reducing recidivism. Thus far, MHC research has largely neglected the potential utility of criminogenic factors. A retrospective analysis of 163 MHC participants was conducted to examine the association between clinical and criminogenic factors and noncompliance, as well as for recidivism, using a series of Bayesian negative binomial regression models to compare predictors. Criminogenic factors, namely first offending prior to the age of 18, having a substance-related diagnosis, commission of a variety of crimes, historical probation or parole violation, and having less than a high school education were associated with an increased rate of engaging in noncompliant behavior and rearrest. None of the clinical factors were directly associated with noncompliance or rearrest outcomes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (13) ◽  
pp. 1899-1922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Strohschein ◽  
Usha Ram

Received wisdom says marriage correlates with better health, but men derive a greater benefit than do women. These perceptions persist even though the latter, known as the sex role hypothesis, no longer receives unqualified support. Some researchers attribute declining evidence for the sex role hypothesis to greater gender equality. Such arguments, however, may best apply to Western, developed countries where gains in women’s status have been largest. To date, few researchers have explored these issues in non-Western, developing countries. This study is the first to explore sex-specific differences in the association between marital status and mental health in India, a country with high levels of gender inequality. Data come from the Youth in India Situation and Needs survey, with analysis restricted to 19,163 young adults aged 20 to 24. Results from negative binomial regression models supported the sex role hypothesis. The implications of these findings are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 340-352
Author(s):  
Chinaeke Eric ◽  
Gwynn Melanie ◽  
Hong Yuan ◽  
Zhang Jiajia ◽  
Olatosi Bankole

Abstract Background Few studies have assessed the impact of employment on mental health among chronically ill patients. This study investigated the association between employment and self-reported mental unhealthy days among US adults. Methods For this cross-sectional cohort study, we pooled 2011–2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey data. We examined the association between employment and mental health in nine self-reported chronic conditions using marginalized zero-inflated negative binomial regression (MZINB). All analyses were conducted using SAS statistical software 9.4. Results Respondents (weighted n = 245 319 917) were mostly white (77.16%), aged 18–64 (78.31%) and employed (57.08%). Approximately 10% of respondents reported one chronic condition. Expected relative risk of mental unhealthy days was highest for employed respondents living with arthritis (RR = 1.70, 95% CI = [1.66, 1.74]), COPD (RR = 1.45, 95% CI = [1.41, 1.49]) and stroke (RR = 1.31, 95% CI = [1.25, 1.36]) compared to unemployed respondents. Employed males had 25% lower risk of self-reported mental unhealthy days compared to females. Conclusions Results show the interactive effects of employment on self-reported mental health. Employment may significantly impact on self-reported mental health among patients suffering from chronic conditions than those without chronic conditions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110163
Author(s):  
Jacquelynn F. Duron ◽  
Abigail Williams-Butler ◽  
Patti Mattson ◽  
Paul Boxer

Justice-involved adolescents typically report high levels of lifetime trauma exposure, although research on juvenile justice system-wide screenings is limited. Further, there is little evidence from research on the psychological and substance abuse treatment related needs of youth relative to the trauma levels or types of trauma experienced by justice-involved adolescents. We documented lifetime exposure to traumatic events and its relation to psychological and substance use concerns in a sample of adolescents admitted to custody in the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission. This study examined lifetime exposure to traumatic events experienced by justice-involved adolescents (N = 627) using negative binomial regression modeling and zero-inflated negative binomial regression modeling to identify which adolescents have the greatest trauma exposure, and determine how cumulative types of trauma relate to youths’ mental health and substance use needs. Adolescents reported experiencing an average of 4 of 17 traumatic exposures on the Life Events Checklist. The most common traumas experienced directly and indirectly were physical assault and assault with a weapon. Considering particular traumas, there were differences in exposures based on race and ethnicity, sex, child welfare involvement, and gang affiliation. Higher levels of some types of traumatic exposure were consistently related to higher levels of mental health needs. Results indicate that adolescents enter the juvenile justice system with high levels of polytraumatization. These adverse events are associated with elevated mental health and substance use needs that should be considered in case planning.


2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-215039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Malthe Bach-Mortensen ◽  
Michelle Degli Esposti

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted care homes and vulnerable populations, exacerbating existing health inequalities. However, the role of area deprivation in shaping the impacts of COVID-19 in care homes is poorly understood. We examine whether area deprivation is linked to higher rates of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths among care home residents across upper tier local authorities in England (n=149).MethodsWe constructed a novel dataset from publicly available data. Using negative binomial regression models, we analysed the associations between area deprivation (Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) extent) as the exposure and COVID-19 outbreaks, COVID-19-related deaths and all-cause deaths among care home residents as three separate outcomes—adjusting for population characteristics (size, age composition, ethnicity).ResultsCOVID-19 outbreaks in care homes did not vary by area deprivation. However, COVID-19-related deaths were more common in the most deprived quartiles of IDAOPI (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.23, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.47) and IMD extent (IRR: 1.16, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.34), compared with the least deprived quartiles.DiscussionThese findings suggest that area deprivation is a key risk factor in COVID-19 deaths among care home residents. Future research should look to replicate these results when more complete data become available.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document