142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Health & Mental Health Needs of Incarcerated Mothers and Pregnant Women

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Sunday, November 16, 2014

Susan Rose, PhD , Center for Applied Behavioral Health Research, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Thomas P. LeBel, Ph.D. , Department of Criminal Justice, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Background: About 13% of the 735,000 persons incarcerated in jails in the US are women, and about three-fourths are mothers. The number of women incarcerated nearly tripled from 1990 to 2007, and the increase in the incarceration rate for women during this period was higher than for men. Despite this increase, incarcerated mothers and pregnant women remain an often ignored population.

Methods: As many incarcerated women have mental health, physical health and substance use needs, we investigated the comorbidity of these health conditions in one Midwestern County Jail system. We screened 267 women (240 mothers of minor children and 27 pregnant women) for these health needs, and conducted chi-square analyses to identify relationships between them.  

Results: Nearly three-fourths (70.4%) screened positive for substance use using a cut-off score of ≥8 on the AUDIT-12, indicating a strong likelihood of hazardous use. Almost two-thirds (64.8%) of the women indicated at least one physical health problem, and 65.2% reported treatment for a mental health problem. Those with a mental health treatment history were more likely to score positive on the substance use screen [χ2 (1, n=267) = 12.34, p < .001], and more likely to have a co-occurring physical health problem [χ2 (1, n=267) = 6.20, p = .013].

Conclusions: Findings suggest that screening all women entering jail for mental health, substance use, and physical health problems is warranted. As many mothers and pregnant women in jail have comorbid health needs, their future success in treatment may hinge on more integrated health-service models.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Other professions or practice related to public health
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Assessing the reported health and mental health status of mothers and pregnant women incarcerated in a local jail system.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was the principal investigator for the project which provided the data we are presenting. I have a 20 year history of successfully conducting research on women's substance use and mental Health problems. I have received research funding from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, National Institute of Justice and National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and Administration for Children & Youth.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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