Criminal justice
involvement among veterans is
a critical and timely concern, yet little is known about criminal histories
and clinical characteristics among veterans seeking treatment for substance use
disorders (SUDs).
The present study examined criminal typology, clinical characteristics,treatment utilization,
and 12-step mutual-help group (MHG) participation among veterans (N
= 332) at intake to SUD treatment at
the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA), and 6 months and 1 year post-intake. Cluster analysis yielded three types
of criminal histories
mild-(78.9%), moderate (13.6%), and severe (7.5%)-distinguished by type of
offense, number of convictions, and number of months incarcerated.
At intake,
participants with mild criminal histories
reported more alcohol problems and fewer legal and employment problems than
participants with moderate and severe criminal histories. Participants with severe criminal histories
were most likely to attend a 12-step MHG meeting in the year post-intake, but
all groups had high attendance. When only participants who had attended at
least one meeting in the year post-intake were compared, participants with mildcriminal histories
worked more steps and were more involved in 12-step practices.
All groups
improved between baseline and follow-up and did not differ at follow-ups on substance use
or other clinical outcomes. Multiple regressions identified treatment utilization
and MHG attendance, but not baseline criminal history,
as significant predictors of improved substance use
problem severity at follow-up. Outpatient treatment and
12-step MHG attendance appear to be important components of recovery for veterans with
varying criminal histories.
Clinicians in SUD treatment programs
should screen for criminal histories
at treatment intake
to ensure appropriate treatment planning.
Full PDF article at: http://goo.gl/hHxr9h
By: Schultz NR1, Blonigen D2, Finlay A3, Timko C4.
- 1Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA. Electronic address: Nicole.Schultz@va.gov.
- 2Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
- 3Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA; Substance Use Disorder Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
- 4Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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