Behaviours and Health Risks Program, Public Health Discipline, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
J Urban Health. 2019 Jun;96(3):400-410. doi: 10.1007/s11524-019-00353-5.
People who inject drugs (PWID) are disproportionately represented among individuals who experience imprisonment and often have more complex physical and mental health needs than people in prison without injecting histories. The trajectories of PWID after prison release are poorly understood, hampering the development of effective strategies to address their distinct health needs. The Prison and Transition Health (PATH) Cohort Study is characterising the post-release trajectories of incarcerated male PWID in Victoria, Australia. We outline study methodology and baseline characteristics of participants prior to their release. Four hundred participants were recruited from three prisons and completed researcher-administered baseline interviews covering socio-demographics, social supports, physical health, mental health, alcohol and other drug use, and pre-release and transitional service utilisation. The median age among participants was 36 years (IQR 30-42), and they reported a median of five (IQR 3-9) previous adult incarcerations. Almost half (49%) were reliant on government payments prior to incarceration. One quarter (25%) of participants reported removal from their parents' care as children and 64% reported being a parent or primary caregiver to children. Most participants (81%) reported a previous mental health diagnosis and 44% reported three or more diagnoses. The most common drugs injected prior to incarceration were crystal methamphetamine (80%) and heroin (62%), and most (85%) reported being under the influence of drugs at the time of committing offences for which they were currently incarcerated. Injecting drug use during their current sentence was reported by 40% of participants, and 48% reported engaging with some form of drug treatment during their current sentence. Study participants are characterised by significant mental health and substance use morbidities, social disadvantage and criminogenic histories that present challenges for the provision of post-release support services. Data from the PATH Cohort Study will help inform strategies to improve the health and social outcomes of this population.
吸毒者（PWID）在经历监禁的人群中所占比例不成比例，而且往往比没有注射史的监禁人员有更复杂的身心健康需求。PWID 出狱后的轨迹了解甚少，阻碍了制定解决其独特健康需求的有效策略的发展。监狱和过渡健康 (PATH) 队列研究正在描述澳大利亚维多利亚州被监禁的男性 PWID 出狱后的轨迹。我们概述了研究方法和参与者在出狱前的基线特征。从三所监狱招募了 400 名参与者，并完成了研究人员进行的基线访谈，涵盖社会人口统计学、社会支持、身体健康、心理健康、酒精和其他药物使用以及出狱前和过渡性服务利用情况。参与者的中位数年龄为 36 岁（IQR 30-42），他们报告了中位数为五（IQR 3-9）次以前的成年监禁经历。几乎一半（49%）在入狱前依赖政府付款。四分之一（25%）的参与者报告说他们小时候被父母从家里带走，64%的人报告说他们是孩子的父母或主要照顾者。大多数参与者（81%）报告有以前的心理健康诊断，44%的人报告有三个或更多的诊断。入狱前最常注射的药物是冰毒（80%）和海洛因（62%），大多数（85%）报告在犯罪时受到药物影响，目前正在服刑。40%的参与者报告在当前刑期内使用注射药物，48%的参与者报告在当前刑期内接受某种形式的药物治疗。研究参与者的特点是严重的心理健康和药物使用障碍、社会劣势和犯罪史，这给提供出狱后的支持服务带来了挑战。PATH 队列研究的数据将有助于为改善这一人群的健康和社会结果提供信息。
