Arrest History, Treatment Utilization, and Mutual-Help Group Attendance among Dually Diagnosed Veterans

• In Event: Mental Illness, Treatment Utilization, and Treatment Outcomes Among Justice-Involved Veterans

Abstract

Veterans’ risk for criminal justice involvement may be exacerbated by having dual substance use and other mental health disorder diagnoses. Dually diagnosed (N=304) patients entering Veterans Health Administration (VHA) mental health treatment programs were followed for 2 years to examine relationships among arrest history, problem severity, and treatment outcomes. Patients entering treatment with no arrests (N=28; 9.2%), nonviolent arrests only (N=171; 56.3%), and at least one violent arrest (N=105; 34.5%) were compared at baseline on problem severity, and at 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year follow-ups on severity, treatment utilization, and 12-step mutual-help group (MHG) participation. At baseline, patients with violent arrest histories had the most severe alcohol, drug, legal, psychological, family/social, and employment problems, but these differences generally disappeared at follow-ups. Although groups did not differ on treatment utilization, patients with an arrest history were more likely to participate in MHGs than patients with no arrests. More treatment and MHG participation were associated with less severe employment problems at the 6-month, and with less severe alcohol and psychological problems at the 2-year, follow-ups. Criminal justice-involved Veterans with severe problems at treatment initiation appear to benefit from treatment engagement and MHG participation.

Authors

• Nicole R. Schultz, Department of Veterans Affairs

• Andrea Finlay, Department of Veterans Affairs

• Dan M. Blonigen, Department of Veterans Affairs

• Christine Timko, Department of Veterans Affairs