Examining psychosocial factors effect on physical health and service utilization among a sample of victimized women on probation and parole

This study examines psychosocial factors associated with physical health and service utilization among a sample of 350 women on probation and parole. Research demonstrates that access to healthcare, substance use treatment and psychological services are positively associated with physical health outcomes. Furthermore, there are multiple variables that contribute to an individual's service utilization. The present study sought to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the psychosocial factors that influence service utilization and physical health outcomes among a sample of higher risk women. Among the women in the present study, 33% rated their health as fair or poor and 48% had moderate to very severe pain in the past four weeks. Additionally, 36% of the sample said their health limited their ability to walk one block and 40% said it limited their ability to work or attend school. When asked about service utilization in the past 12 months, the average number of visits to a healthcare provider was five and 38% reported getting treatment for alcohol or drug use. A total of six regressions were run examining the outcomes of service utilization and physical health. For the two regressions examining physical health as the outcome, the psycho-social variables accounted for 22% and 12% of the variance for physical health. Evaluation of service utilization as the outcome variable resulted in 8-12% of the variance explained by the psycho-social variables. These findings emphasize the effect of psychosocial barriers on the utilization of services and the negative health implications.