Trajectories of Health and Behavioral Health Services Use among Community Corrections-Involved Rural Adults.

DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION; CORRECTIONAL institutions; MENTAL depression; EMPLOYMENT; HEALTH services accessibility; LATENT structure analysis; PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; RURAL health clinics; RURAL population; SEX distribution; SUBSTANCE abuse treatment; TREATMENT programs; ADULTS; PSYCHOLOGY

This article seeks to establish time-based trajectories of health and behavioral health services utilization for community corrections--involved (CCI) adults and to examine demographic and clinical correlates associated with these trajectories. To accomplish this aim, the authors applied a latent class growth analysis (LCGA) to services use data from a sample of rural CCI adults who reported their medical, mental health, and substance use treatment utilization behavior every 60 days for 1.5 years. LCGA established 1.5-year trajectories and demographic correlates of health services among rural CCI adults. For medical services, three classes emerged (stable-low users, 13%; stable-intermediate users, 40%; and stable-high users, 47%). For mental health and substance use services, three classes emerged (stable-low, 69% and 61%, respectively; low-baseline-increase, 10% and 12%, respectively; high-baseline decline, 21% and 28%, respectively). Employment, gender, medication usage, and depression severity predicted membership across all services. Results underscore the importance of social workers and other community services providers aligning health services access with the needs of the CCI population, and highlight CCI adults as being at risk of underservice in critical prevention and intervention domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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