Describing the Relationship Between Psychosocial Distress and Extent of Criminal Justice System Involvement for Men and Women in a Sober Living Environment

Abstract

Symptoms of mental health and substance use disorders are prevalent for individuals involved in the criminal justice system and are associated with both costs to society and the individual. The purpose of this study was to examine the severity of psychosocial distress for men and women involved in the criminal justice system living in sober living environments. Specifically, a hierarchical linear multiple regression of the relationship between psychosocial distress and gender, length of current stay in residency at Oxford House, and extent of criminal justice system involvement was conducted. Participants were residents of North Carolina Oxford Houses that indicated previous involvement in the criminal justice system consenting to participate (N = 405). Based on feminist theory and previous literature for critical variables involved in increasing psychosocial distress, the following research hypotheses were generated. Regression was used to explore the how gender and length of current stay in residency at Oxford House influences psychosocial distress. Psychosocial distress was measured by a composite past year symptom count from the Internalizing Mental Health Disorder, Externalizing Mental Health Disorder, and Substance Use Disorder subscales of the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Short Screener. A second regression analysis examined how the extent of criminal justice system involvement affected psychosocial distress based on gender. Extent of criminal justice system involvement included participants' indications of number of arrests, length of time spent in incarceration, and violent or nonviolent crime history. Results of the first regression analysis revealed that gender, length of current stay in residency at OH, and the interaction between gender and length of current stay in residency at OH significantly accounted for 27.2% of the variance in psychosocial distress scores. Results of the second regression analysis revealed that extent of criminal justice system involvement variables accounted for 8.9% of the variance in psychosocial distress scores. The results demonstrate there is the relationship between treatment length and psychosocial distress differs for men and women involved in the criminal justice system in a sober living environment. Further, this study has implications for counselors, counselor educators, program administrators, and agents of the criminal justice system in advocacy for the clinical use of social support provided by the Oxford House model.