Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Department of Criminology, Law and Society.
Psychiatr Rehabil J. 2021 Mar;44(1):70-76. doi: 10.1037/prj0000428. Epub 2020 Jun 25.
Justice-involved people with mental illnesses, in general, experience poor criminal justice outcomes (i.e., high rates of recidivism and probation revocations) and are at increased risk of homelessness, unemployment, stigma, trauma, and poor physical health. Low social support is repeatedly associated with worse mental health outcomes in the general population but little is known about social support among probationers with serious mental illnesses.
To address these gaps in the literature, we used an observational cross-sectional study design and data from a large, randomized controlled trial of specialty mental health probation to examine self-reported social support and its relationships with mental health functioning and other outcomes for individuals with serious mental illnesses on supervised probation.
Probationers who self-reported lower levels of social support also reported greater mental health symptomatology and reported lower quality relationships with their probation officers.
Low social support among probationers with mental illnesses has important implications for mental health and criminal justice practice and policy. Coordinating services between the criminal justice and mental health systems to offer opportunities for social support and meaningful community engagement for those with mental illnesses who are on probation could improve a number of mental health and criminal justice outcomes for this population. Peer support and supported employment services, for example, in addition to outpatient mental health services, could be two strategies that could address social isolation and help individuals living with mental illnesses optimize their recovery and rehabilitation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
一般来说，有精神疾病的涉罪人员在刑事司法结果（即高累犯率和缓刑撤销率）方面表现不佳，并且更有可能无家可归、失业、受到歧视、遭受创伤和身体健康状况不佳。在普通人群中，社会支持程度较低与更差的心理健康结果反复相关，但鲜少有研究关注有严重精神疾病的缓刑人员的社会支持。
为了解决文献中的这些空白，我们使用了观察性的横断面研究设计，并利用一项大型的、专门的心理健康缓刑随机对照试验的数据，来检查自我报告的社会支持及其与精神健康功能以及其他结果之间的关系，这些结果针对的是正在接受监督缓刑的有严重精神疾病的个体。
自我报告社会支持程度较低的缓刑人员还报告了更多的心理健康症状，并且与缓刑官的关系质量也较低。
有精神疾病的缓刑人员社会支持程度较低，这对心理健康和刑事司法实践和政策有重要影响。在刑事司法和精神卫生系统之间协调服务，为那些正在缓刑的有精神疾病的人提供社会支持和有意义的社区参与机会，可以改善该人群的许多心理健康和刑事司法结果。例如，同伴支持和支持性就业服务，除了门诊精神卫生服务之外，可能是两种可以解决社会隔离问题并帮助患有精神疾病的人优化康复和康复的策略。
