Predictors of Psychiatric Hospitalization in Ex-Prisoners With Substance Use Problems: A Data-Linkage Study

• Published in: Journal of drug issues Vol. 45; no. 2; p. 202
• Main Authors: Olsson, Martin O, Öjehagen, Agneta, Brådvik, Louise, Håkansson, Anders
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC 01.04.2015
• Subjects: Correctional treatment programs; Ex-convicts; Hospitalization; Prisons; Substance abuse treatment; Teenagers; Sweden
• ISSN: 0022-0426; 1945-1369
• DOI: 10.1177/0022042615575374

This study analyzed predictors of psychiatric hospitalization in ex-prisoners with substance use problems (N = 4,081) assessed with the Addiction Severity Index and followed postrelease for hospitalizations with psychiatric diagnoses (including suicide attempts). Thirty-four percent were hospitalized, and in Cox regression, several substance-related variables predicted hospitalization, including use of heroin, sedatives, and polysubstance. A secondary analysis, with a psychiatric non-substance focus, excluded hospitalizations involving only substance-related disorders or only a personality disorder in addition to a substance-related disorder. With this definition, 10% were hospitalized, and significant baseline predictors were previous psychiatric hospitalization (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.83), previous suicide attempt (HR = 1.91), depression (HR = 1.33), anxiety (HR = 1.37), sedative use (HR = 1.46), and, negatively, amphetamine use (HR = 0.71). Substance-related variables may predict all-cause psychiatric hospitalizations in prisoners with substance use problems, whereas non-substance-related psychiatric hospitalization may be predicted by baseline psychiatric problems, which calls for attention to psychiatric problems in this setting.