Sexual and Comprehensive Health Among Men During the Process of Reentry From Incarceration: Preliminary Findings From a Community-Based Pilot Study.

Introduction: Given the large number of individuals who are released from detention in correctional facilities every year, the process of reentry and its associated physical, mental, social, sexual, and other health challenges position recently incarcerated men as a priority population for public health research and practice. The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the prevalence of a range of comprehensive health issues among a community-based sample of recently incarcerated men in metropolitan Indianapolis, Indiana. Methods: Under the auspices of an academic-community coalition, our study team engaged in a series of formative steps to determine the most relevant and feasible pilot study that would match the needs of the local community. Based on this guidance, we employed a variety of recruitment strategies to engage a sample of recently incarcerated men in a venue-based computerized survey. We collected a range of data in terms of their sexual health and behaviors as well as a wide range of comprehensive health concerns. Results: Complete baseline data were collected from a diverse sample of 18 adult men who had been released from incarceration during the past 30 days. As with other populations, recently incarcerated men reported a wide range of lifetime sexual experiences. Despite previous studies suggesting high rates of sexual risk behavior immediately following release from incarceration, reports of recent sexual risk behavior (i.e., within the past 30 days) in our sample were relatively low. The majority of participants had been screened for HIV/STI during the past year. Approximately half of the participants reported using drugs at least once over the past year. Although rates of use of most illicit substances were relatively low, a high proportion of men (67%) smoked cigarettes. Employment concerns following release from incarceration were clearly significant among the participants, including stigma and associated stress. Conclusions: Using a community-informed research process, we were able to elicit a wide range of health-related information from a diverse group of men currently in the process of reentry following incarceration. Rates of sexual risk behavior were lower than anticipated and rates of recent HIV/STI screening were relatively high. Additionally, drug use did not appear to be a major concern for most participants. However, employment-related issues were perhaps the most significant challenge for men during the process of reentry. Future health promotion strategies aimed at men during the reentry process would likely be enhanced by focusing on mechanisms for coping with stress and other difficulties related to the reality of stigma and discrimination faced by individuals who are released from incarceration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]