Association between perception of neighborhood disadvantage and drug dependence among women and men in jail

Background: There is increasing evidence that neighborhood disadvantage (which we define here as perceived neighborhood violence, lack of social capital, or lack of trust in local institutions) can influence an individual's susceptibility to drug dependence. However, this has never been examined within a jailed population, where frequent transitions between jailhouse and neighborhood are common. Increasing our understanding of these associations could help us to implement more targeted programs to decrease drug dependence and recidivism among the incarcerated. Methods: For this study, 596 women and men from three Kansas City jails were surveyed over the course of six months in 2010. Results: The analysis showed that fear of neighborhood violence, one aspect of neighborhood disadvantage, was associated with an increased odds of having drug dependence (OR = 1.27, CI 1.02, 1.58), when controlling for gender and age. A higher level of social capital prior to incarceration was associated with lower odds of drug dependence (OR = 0.65, CI 0.44, 0.97) when controlling for gender and age. Mental health problem diagnosis and past year intimate partner violence arose as significant mediating factors. However, for females only, the relationship between social capital and drug dependence was partially mediated by a mental health problem diagnosis, and remained significant (OR=0.552, CI 0.314, 0.972). Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that drug dependence programs for women and men who cycle through jails and communities may need to take a more community-based approach, acknowledging neighborhood disadvantage as well as gender-specific histories of mental illness and intimate partner violence.