Abstract Relationships between opioid use and health, both physical and mental, have been discovered over the last decade or so, but these relationships have yet to be explored among incarcerated individuals. These relationships are important as they may have implications on the health of those who are incarcerated and nearing reentry, because higher rates of opioid use, as well as poor physical and mental health, are found among those who are justice-involved compared with the general population. Using baseline data from a multistate randomized controlled trial, authors aimed to fill this gap by exploring mental health disorder rates and physical health among a sample of incarcerated individuals who report lifetime opioid use and nearing community reentry. Results showed that the prevalence of lifetime opioid use was significantly associated with increased physical role limitation, decreased emotional well-being, and overall poorer health. Additionally, individuals with a lifetime history of opioid use were significantly more likely to have depression, social and generalized anxiety disorders, as well as a history of alcohol and illicit substance use. This work speaks to the urgency in expanding efforts to increase access to comprehensive service delivery models that address substance use, mental health, and physical health comorbidities among incarcerated individuals.

Abstract Some evidence suggests that the practice of solitary confinement in incarceration settings is linked to poor mental health outcomes; however, prior research has not yet examined associations between experiences of solitary confinement and psychosis symptoms. To address this gap, authors conducted a cross-sectional survey of 201 formerly incarcerated men and women in the United States to examine the relationship between solitary confinement and psychosis symptoms in the postrelease community setting. Results indicated that solitary confinement was significantly associated with higher levels of current psychosis symptoms after controlling for demographic factors and clinical characteristics. These findings highlight the need for short-term and long-term community-based mental health interventions and prevention efforts in the postrelease community setting. Social workers and practitioners in community mental health settings should be cognizant of patients’ histories with solitary confinement and consider how these experiences may present risks to current mental health symptoms (i.e., early onset psychosis). Future studies are needed on protective mechanisms that may buffer the effects of prior solitary confinement on psychosis.

State prisons incarcerate 1.06 million adults in the United States and, every year, release approximately 502,000 back to the community (Carson, 2021). Traumatic brain injury (TBI), defined as a head injury that disrupts normal function of the brain, is disproportionately experienced by individuals in prison, thus TBI is an important health concern for social workers who provide services to these adults. In fact, recent meta-analyses have found TBI prevalence to be approximately 51% in adults who are incarcerated versus 12% in the general population (Farrer & Hedges, 2011). TBI has important health consequences for returning citizens, since it is related to depression, anxiety, and substance abuse (McKinlay et al., 2014; Scholten et al., 2016). In addition to TBI, adults returning from prison suffer from a variety of other health problems. Infectious diseases such as hepatitis C are reported at levels five to eight times higher than among the general population (Varan et al., 2014), and chronic health conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease are also experienced at higher rates by adults in prison (Binswanger et al., 2009).

Abstract Community-engaged and participatory methods are increasingly used by academic researchers. Power dynamics in academia shape the landscape in which researchers implement these methods, yet are rarely understood and intentionally addressed. Through the lens of social work researchers at different career stages, this article describes how power relations within academia present challenges to community-engaged and participatory research across four stages of the research process (participant/researcher relationship, study formulation, conducting research, and publication/dissemination). These challenges are located within four domains of power identified by intersectionality scholars: Institutional policies such as those for tenure and promotion and for research administration presented challenges with the structural domain. Decisions about how to implement and enforce policies and operationalize what counts for tenure and promotion were identified as challenges within the disciplinary domain. Norms about who belongs on a university campus and what types of research are valued exemplified the cultural domain, while dynamics about who is viewed as an expert exemplified challenges the interpersonal domain. Across the research process, the article identifies potential solutions and suggests strategies for intentional consideration by academic researchers and their institutions to conduct meaningful, inclusive, and socially just research that shares power with community.

Journal Article Social Work Research: Vol. 46, Nos. 1–4, March 2022–December 2022 Get access Social Work Research, Volume 46, Issue 4, December 2022, Pages 351–355, https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svac027 Published: 18 November 2022

Social isolation is common among individuals with schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. Research indicates that social isolation relates to poorer mental health outcomes, depression, and negative symptoms, with less known about its relationship with positive symptoms. This study examined depression as a mediator in the relationships between positive symptoms (i.e., hallucinations and delusions) and social isolation among an early treatment phase sample in the United States. Data were obtained from the Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode project of the National Institute of Mental Health's Early Treatment Program. Participants (N = 404) included adults between ages 15 and 40 in a first episode of psychosis. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in Mplus (Version 8). The study showed that delusions (b = .095, SE = 0.04, p < .05) and hallucinations (b = .076, SE = 0.03, p < .01) were directly related to depression, and that both delusions (b = .129, SE = 0.06, p < .05) and depression (b = .254, SE = 0.09, p < .05) were directly related to social isolation. Findings of this study determined that depression functioned as a mediator in the relationships between positive symptoms and social isolation. Targeting psychosis symptomatology and depression in treatment, improving social skills and social support networks, and considering the role of stigma in social isolation are of great importance in the prevention of poorer mental health outcomes.

Abstract Providing high-quality and cost-effective services in family and mental health treatment programs is difficult. There is an elusive balance between (a) maximizing patients served and positive patient outcomes and (b) minimizing provider burnout and turnover. Agencies often implicitly assume that all cases require equivalent provider time and effort and thus assign cases solely to balance each provider’s caseload numbers. However, this assumption ignores factors that can lead to substandard treatment and provider burnout. This study identifies factors that contribute to case complexity and difficulty as part of a program of research to develop a weighted case-demandingness model in outpatient mental health and family maltreatment services in the U.S. Air Force. Focus groups with providers revealed distinct themes related to caseload and effective time management. The generalizability of the findings was tested quantitatively among a larger sample of providers. Results indicate the need to consider environmental, structural, and individual patient factors when determining patient acuity and caseload.

Abstract Collections of policies in the United States have produced and perpetuated ubiquitous social disadvantage. To overcome this reality, policymaking must be more democratic and participatory with active allyship in support of social justice. By deepening contextual understanding of systemic barriers and promoting macro perspective taking, social empathy may foster allyship from socially advantaged group members. However, research on the promise of social empathy and understanding of how to advance it remain nascent. Drawing on the intergroup contact theory (ICT) and using a sample of white U.S. college students (N = 329), this study explores the relationship between cross-group friendships, social empathy, and political engagement. Having close friends of color was indirectly related to more political engagement through a serial pathway of greater sociopolitical discussions and social empathy. The theoretical significance of these findings to the ICT and social empathy framework are discussed, as well as implications for intergroup contact interventions, social policy, and social work education.

Housing plays a critical role in the care outcomes of individuals living with a HIV, yet few studies have examined the unique housing profiles of women living with HIV (WLH), especially among those belonging to low-income racial/ethnic minority groups. In this study, authors conducted a latent class analysis to generate latent profiles of women (N = 1,501) according to their housing status and household characteristics and assessed associations between classes and sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics and between classes and three HIV care outcomes: retention in care, viral suppression, and sustained viral suppression. A three-class model was selected using five dichotomized housing indicators: housing status, head of household status, living with minors, living with another adult, and disclosure of HIV status to adults with whom they live. While class 1 and class 2 had comparable HIV care outcomes, women in class 3-who were predominately unstably housed, living alone, and did not disclose their HIV status with those with whom they lived-had significantly lower crude odds of successful care outcomes. When accounting for sociodemographic and behavioral factors, significant differences in retention in care persisted. Findings underscore the need for tailored interventions for subgroups of low-income WLH and provide contextual details around the role of housing experiences.

Journal Article Assessing for Bias and Evidential Value: Introducing the P-Curve to Social Work Research Get access Daniel J Dunleavy Daniel J Dunleavy Daniel J. Dunleavy, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow, Center for Translational Behavioral Science, Florida State University, 2010 Levy Avenue, Building B, Suite B0266, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA; email: djd09e@fsu.edu. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Social Work Research, Volume 46, Issue 3, September 2022, Pages 255–259, https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svac013 Published: 05 July 2022 Article history Received: 06 March 2021 Revision received: 14 July 2021 Editorial decision: 18 August 2021 Accepted: 18 August 2021 Published: 05 July 2022