title: Wellness and illness self-management skills in community corrections.
abstract: Community corrections provide a readjustment venue for re-entry between incarceration and home for inmates in the US corrections system. Our goal was to determine how self-management skills, an important predictor of re-entry success, varied by demographic and risk factors. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed responses of 675 clients from 57 community corrections programs run by the regional division of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. A self-administered survey collected data on self-management skills, demographics, and risk factors; significant associations were applied in four regression models: the overall self-management score and three self-management subscales: coping skills, goals, and drug use. Over one-quarter (27.2%/146) of participants had a mental health history. White race, no mental health history and high school education were associated with better overall self-management scores; mental health history and drug use in the past year were associated with lower coping scores; female gender and high school education were associated with better self-management goals; female gender was associated with better self-management drug use scores. Self-management programs may need to be individualized for different groups of clients. Lower scores for those with less education suggest an area for targeted, nurse-led interventions.
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Nursing and Health Studies, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Megha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramaswamy
authors.forename: Hsiang-Feng
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Denny
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012951:Socialization; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology