Continuing Care and Trauma in Women Offenders’ Substance Use, Psychiatric Status, and Self-Efficacy Outcomes

Abstract

Using secondary data analysis of 3 separate trauma-informed treatment programs for women offenders, we examine outcomes between those who received both prison and community-based substance abuse treatment (i.e., continuing care; n = 85) and those who received either prison or community aftercare treatment (n = 108). We further account for differences in trauma exposure to examine whether continuing care moderates this effect on substance use, psychiatric severity, and self-efficacy outcomes at follow-up. The main effect models of continuing care showed a significant association with high psychiatric status and did not yield significant associations with substance use or self-efficacy. However, the interaction between trauma history and continuing care showed significant effects on all 3 outcomes. Findings support the importance of a continuing care treatment model for women offenders exposed to multiple forms of traumatic events, and provide evidence of the effectiveness of integrating trauma-informed treatment into women’s substance abuse treatment.

Characteristics and Context of Women Probationers and Parolees Who Engage in Violence

“…The intercorrelations among anger, violence, abuse history, mental illness, and substance abuse support prior conclusions that effective programming for women offenders, including those who engage in violence, must address a wide variety of needs rather than just one particular need, such as anger or anger management (Covington, Burke, Keaton, & Norcott, 2008; Gobeil, Blanchette, & Stewart, 2016; Linehan, Bohus, & Lynch, 2007; Palmer et al, 2015; Sacks, 2004; Sacks, McKendrick, & Hamilton, 2012; Saxena, Grella, & Messina, 2016; Saxena, Messina, & Grella, 2014). Yet, a recent review of programs for women in correctional settings revealed that none of them focused heavily on anger, though apart from this review, there are some assessments and descriptions of programs that do attend to women’s anger in a holistic way (Eamon et al, 2002; Fedock, 2015; Kubiak et al, 2014; Tripodi et al, 2011).…”

Nia Imani Model of Care’s Impact on Homeless African-American Women

“…Surgeon General, 2016). Comprehensive programs that would enable women to obtain services and to meet their health and social needs in one location could be valuable in enhancing women’s recovery, which validates previous research findings (Meshberg-Cohen et al, 2016; Saxena et al, 2016).…”

Health Services Use Among Jailed Women with Alcohol Use Disorders

“…58–59 Accordingly, studies provide evidence of the effectiveness of integrating trauma-informed treatment into women’s addiction treatment, and support the importance of a continuing care model, in which treatment is available both during and after incarceration, for women offenders exposed to traumatic events. 60–61 Integrated and ongoing care in turn increases women’s self-efficacy to develop healthier emotional and behavioral responses to adverse events and/or risky situations that they are likely to encounter in the community. 61 …”

“…60–61 Integrated and ongoing care in turn increases women’s self-efficacy to develop healthier emotional and behavioral responses to adverse events and/or risky situations that they are likely to encounter in the community. 61 …”