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An analysis of the effect of mental health and substance abuse factors on the reliability of self-reported data from prisoners is presented. Results indicate that self-reported arrest histories provided by clients of a psychiatric probation and parole service were as valid as those provided by general offender populations.

Background: Despite a sizable minority of persons with serious mental illness (SMI) acting aggressively toward family members, little is known about this topic. The objectives of the present analyses are to examine the association of offenders' SMI status with offender behaviors and victim outcomes and to compare the immediate contextual characteristics of incidents involving offenders with and without SMI. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, all incidents of domestic violence to which police were called between adult children and their parents in Philadelphia, PA, in 2013 (N = 6191) were analyzed. Additionally, incidents in which the offender was indicated to have SMI (n = 327) were matched with a sample of incidents in which the offender was not indicated to have SMI (n = 327). Results: Offenders having SMI was not associated with using a bodily weapon or gun, threatening victims, or damaging property. Offenders having SMI was associated with a decreased risk of offenders using a non-gun external weapon and victims being observed to have a complaint of pain or visible injuries. When offenders had SMI, conflict was less likely to focus on family issues and more likely to focus on offenders' behaviors and to involve contextual characteristics related to mental illness. Conclusions: Efforts to prevent gun and other violence between non-intimate partner family members should target factors more strongly associated with violence than SMI (e.g. history of domestic violence, substance abuse). Intervening in family aggression by persons with SMI likely requires addressing unique circumstances these parties experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retention of benefits from two models of family education was compared with maturational effects in an untreated control group. The three-month interventions showed an initial effect for self-efficacy regarding a mentally ill relative that did not significantly diminish during the following six months. However, no significant differences on this measure were found between the treated groups and the untreated controls. Ways of refining the interventions and measures so as to improve gains and retain them over time are discussed.

Among 225 family members participating in a study of psychoeducational interventions, 39% of the variance in subjective burden was explained by the severity of stressors related to the relative's illness and by mediators related to social support and coping capabilities. Interventions directed toward improving self-efficacy and coping 'strategies may be important mediators of subjective burden.

In the course of a study of a team model of intensive case management for people with serious mental illness who are homeless and leaving Philadelphia jails, several issues regarding the interaction of mental health and jail systems have arisen. Among these issues are continuity of care in an unpredictable jail system, extensive involvement of family members in the charges brought against clients, and the use of legal sanctions toward therapeutic outcomes. This article discusses these issues both as they have appeared in the literature and as they have affected the progress of the study. Implications for community mental health system interactions with jails in serving forensic clients are explored., Interest in the role played by the criminal justice system in the lives of people with serious mental illness has persisted in the era of deinstitutionalization (Lamb & Grant 1982, [...]

Although links between mental health and intimate partner violence (IPV) have been discussed extensively in the scholarly literature, little empirical data exist about these phenomena in Botswana. This study addressed this gap by examining the nature, extent, and risk factors associated with symptoms of major depressive disorders (MDD) using cross-sectional data collected in 2009-2010 in northwestern Botswana. A random sample of 469 women participated in semistructured interviews about their lives, health, and experiences with violence. Thirty-one percent of respondents were found to meet the symptom criteria for MDD. Factors associated with MDD included emotional or physical violence by an intimate partner and being in a relationship in which both partners consumed alcohol. One in five women reported a recent experience of emotional violence, while 37% of respondents reported recent physical IPV. Women who have experienced emotional or physical IPV in the last 12 months have 89% and 82% greater odds, respectively, of having symptoms of MDD (p <.05) than women who have not recently experienced either form of violence. Women in relationships in which both partners consumed alcohol had more than twice the odds of MDD compared with women in relationships where neither partner or only one partner drank. Given the significant association of violence, alcohol, and MDD, screening for all three conditions should be part of routine care in health care settings in Botswana. Interventions to reduce IPV and alcohol consumption may help alleviate the burden of MDD in women in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate how adults with serious mental illness learn and utilize an illness self-management framework for pursuing recovery through a program called Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP). The researchers employed an interpretive descriptive methodology with thematic analysis. Data were collected from three focus groups (n = 26) and in-depth interviews with follow-up member checks with 10 participants (n = 20 interviews). Findings aligned with main constructs of self-determination theory (SDT) to explain how an autonomy-supportive environment created opportunities for participants to build competency, implementing personalized recovery strategies that are socially endorsed by peers, resulting in internalized motivation for continued application of WRAP's framework. SDT appears to explain mechanisms of change for WRAP. Recommendations for mental health organizations include broadly ensuring autonomy-supportive environments and services that maximize opportunities to build competence in recovery strategies in collaboration with peers. Future research may utilize SDT as the theoretical basis for investigating self-management programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]