Discrimination, social support, and health-related quality of life among individuals with criminal records.

Several studies have found an association between social identity-based discrimination and reduced physical health. Research also indicates that social support may sometimes protectively moderate this relationship. This study addresses the lack of sufficient research regarding these connections among individuals facing criminal record discrimination. The authors analyzed the responses of 168 people with felony records who completed a nationwide, online survey. While controlling for several other potentially impactful variables, the authors used regression analyses to explore the relationship between criminal record discrimination and reported healthy days per month and whether social support protectively moderated this relationship. There was a significant negative association between criminal record discrimination and healthy days among those with notably low social support. Meanwhile, moderate levels of social support appeared to protectively extinguish this relationship. This study suggests that social support may influence whether criminal record discrimination negatively impacts health.

Correlates of employment among men in substance use recovery: The influence of discrimination and social support.

The purpose of the present study was to identify correlates of employment among men in substance use recovery, including recovery-related discrimination and social support. A cross-sectional sample of men (N = 164) who lived in sober living homes located across the United States participated in the present study. Data were collected online and through mailed surveys. No socio-demographic variables were associated with employment status. Discriminant Analysis (DA) was conducted to understand how recovery-related discrimination and social support contributed to group separation (employed vs. not employed). Results from this analysis suggested that recovery-related discrimination was the driving force in classification, as men who were not employed had much higher recovery-related discrimination than men who were employed. Men who were not employed also had lower social support scores than men who were employed. Stigma and discrimination may play a large role in employment among former and current substance users. Treatment providers should discuss the impact of stigma on individuals while they are in treatment. However, additional research is needed to more fully understand the relations among discrimination, social support, and employment.

The Impact of Criminal Record Stigma on Quality of Life: A Test of Theoretical Pathways.

Across multiple stigmatized groups, research suggests that stigma may negatively impact individual wellbeing. This impact often occurs through a sequential pathway that includes perceiving societal stigma, a diminished and stereotyped self-concept (i.e., internalized stigma), experiences of discrimination and rejection, and attempts to cope with stigma (e.g., secrecy or withdrawal). While prior research supports individual links within this pathway, no study has evaluated a model representing the relationships between all of these factors in relation to criminal record stigma. This study utilized cross-sectional data from an online survey of 198 adults to test the pathways through which criminal record-related stigma impacts individual quality of life. The results indicated that perceived stigma was a significant predictor of discrimination and rejection experiences, secrecy coping strategies, and decreased quality of life. There was also a significant indirect association between perceived stigma and quality of life through secrecy coping. Consistent with recent criminal record stigma research, internalized stigma was low among respondents. These findings point to the importance of reducing criminal record stigma and discrimination, so that individuals with criminal records have more opportunities to enhance their quality of life without having to withdraw from society or keep their record a secret.

Intimate Partner Violence Among Low-Income Fathers: Testing a Stress-Coping Model.

This research used a stress-coping conceptual framework to examine intimate partner violence (IPV) among men who are fathers. The current study examined how perceived stress explained associations between stressors (e.g., employment status, psychological and physical female-to-male partner violence [FMPV], substance use, criminal justice system involvement) and male-perpetrated physical and psychological IPV. Participants were 1,971 low-income, ethnically diverse fathers involved in a statewide fatherhood program. Findings indicated that, across African American, White, and Hispanic/Latino men, male-reported FMPV and criminal justice involvement were associated with psychological and/or physical IPV via perceived stress. Employment status and alcohol use were associated with psychological IPV via perceived stress among African American men only. Implications for community-based fatherhood programs are discussed.

The Development and Evaluation of a Statewide Training Center for Home Visitors and Supervisors.

This paper informs practice in community-based home visiting workforce development by describing the development and evaluation of a university-based training certificate program for home visitors and supervisors. The Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF; Wandersman et al., 2008) guides our conceptualization and paper organization. The ISF describes the components involved in translating research findings into effective implementation of prevention programs. We describe implementation and lessons learned from seven development activities: (a) review of the literature, (b) survey of other training initiatives across the country, (c) focus groups with home visitors and supervisors, (d) consultation with individual home visitors, (e) creation of a state advisory board of home visiting providers and stakeholders, (f) evaluation of two pilot trainings, and (g) video development. We then present evaluation data from 49 home visitors and 23 supervisors who completed the training certificate program after the pilot trainings. Both home visitors and supervisors rated training satisfaction highly, reported significant increases in self-efficacy related to the training topics, and reported extensive use of motivational communication techniques, which are the foundational skills of the training content. These and other favorable results reflect the benefits of building on advances in theory and science-based practice and of involving providers and stakeholders repeatedly throughout the development process.

Collective Efficacy as a Key Context in Neighborhood Support for Urban Youth.

Neighborhood context, including the physical and social environment, has been implicated as important contributors to positive youth development. A transactional approach to neighborhood asserts that place and people are mutually constitutive; negative perceptions of place are intrinsically bound with negative portrayals of stigmatized groups, including youth. Adult perceptions of neighborhood youth may contribute to an increased sense of alienation and youth antisocial behavior. This study uses street-intercept interviews with adults (N = 408) to examine the relationship between neighborhood conditions and adult support for neighborhood youth. A path model was used to examine the direct and indirect relationship of neighborhood constructs (safety, aesthetic quality, and walkability) on adult support for neighborhood youth. Neighborhood aesthetic quality and the walking environment were directly associated with adult support for youth, whereas perceived safety was indirectly associated. Collective efficacy partially explained these relationships. Findings support theorized relationships between people and places; improvements to neighborhood physical environment may directly impact resident adults' perceptions of neighborhood young people.

Neighborhood sexual violence moderates women's perceived safety in urban neighborhoods.

Perceptions of neighborhood safety are positively associated with perceptions of neighborhood violence. However, research has yet to examine whether this relationship is moderated by specific types of violence, such as sexual violence, that are more salient for women. Using street-intercept interviews with 343 adults in 9 neighborhoods of a U.S. city with high rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime, we examine the relationship of perceived neighborhood violence to perceived safety in the context of gender while controlling for neighborhood assets that moderate perceptions of neighborhood safety and violence. We hypothesized that gender would moderate the relationship between perceived neighborhood violence and safety, and that women's perceptions of neighborhood safety would be significantly influenced by neighborhood sexual violence, but not other types of violence. Although women and men in these high crime, urban neighborhoods did not differ in their perceptions of neighborhood safety or violence, perceived sexual violence did significantly moderate safety by gender; women's perceptions of neighborhood sexual violence predicted perceived safety in their neighborhood. Importantly, gender did not moderate perceived safety for other types of violence. These results illustrate the importance of taking gender and perceived sexual violence into account to understand neighborhood safety in adults, particularly women.

METHODOLOGICAL PLURALISM AND MIXED METHODOLOGY TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH: AN EXAMPLE FROM OXFORD HOUSE.

This article evaluates how a plurality of research methods has served a research program that has functioned in a much-needed area of research: the role of housing and recovery residences in addiction recovery. The review focuses on one mutually supportive recovery residence model, called Oxford House, which represents more than 1,700 democratic, self-governing residences. To date, there has been no comprehensive evaluation of the research methods used with Oxford House or any other recovery residence. In this article, research methods, including study designs and data analyses, are summarized for 114 peer-reviewed empirical studies that included data on Oxford Houses or Oxford House residents. This review of a pluralistic research program can inform community researchers about the value of recovery residences, the many ways in which recovery residences may be assessed, and the benefits of using multiple methods. Implications for future recovery residence research are discussed.

Good job, bad job: The employment experiences of women in recovery from substance abuse.

BACKGROUND: Women in metropolitan areas have lower employment participation and employment rates than men. Although women face multiple challenges in the labor market, those who have a history of substance use and are abstinent may have a greater disadvantage in obtaining viable employment opportunities due to factors associated with substance use. No research to date has examined employment experiences among women in recovery from substance use. OBJECTIVE: This study examined employment characteristics and experiences of women who had a history of substance use and lived in sober-living environments in urban areas. METHOD: Data were collected through telephone interviews to sober living homes that were located in 20 urban areas. RESULTS: Themes identified through thematic analysis included employment challenges, the importance of work to substance abuse recovery, job satisfaction, employment aspirations, and employment support in the sober living home. CONCLUSION: Employment is important to women in substance abuse recovery, not only as a means for financial support, but also as a life priority. The results highlight how employer scheduling practices, low-level positions, and lack of employment supports impact recovery. Findings provide insight into the need for employment support services, including employer education and flexible policies for women in recovery.

Socio-psychological mediators of the relationship between behavioral health stigma and psychiatric symptoms.

The stigma associated with mental illness or addiction is significantly and positively related to psychiatric symptoms. According to Modified Labeling Theory, several processes should mediate this relationship, including rejection experiences, stigma management (secrecy coping), and social support. In the first comprehensive test of this theory, we examined a serial mediation model on three waves of data from 138 adults receiving outpatient behavioral health treatment. Participants were recruited from outpatient behavioral health clinics in a large northeastern city in the United States and completed interviews that assessed stigma, rejection experiences, stigma management, social support, and psychiatric symptoms. There was a direct effect between stigma and psychiatric symptoms and an indirect effect in which perceived rejection, secrecy coping and social support sequentially and longitudinally intervened in the stigma and psychiatric symptom relationship. Higher perceptions of stigma predicted more rejection experiences, which marginally increased secrecy coping and decreased social support. In turn, decreased social support increased psychiatric symptoms. We provide support for Modified Labeling Theory and the clinical utility of specific mediators in the relationship between stigma and psychiatric symptoms among adults in behavioral health treatment living in urban settings.

The Researcher-Practitioner Partnership Study (RPPS): Experiences From Criminal Justice System Collaborations Studying Violence Against Women.

The benefits of researcher-practitioner (R-P) collaborations focused on violence against women (VAW) are many. Such projects support researchers and practitioners working together to create uniquely comprehensive projects that have the potential to change practices, policies, and services. Extant literature is limited in that it has (a) focused on the experiences of a very limited number of collaborations, (b) ignored collaborations conducted in the context of the criminal justice system, and (c) excluded as a focus the products that result from the collaborations and their dissemination. Therefore, the goal of this qualitative study is to identify the essential elements to consider for successful R-P collaborations on VAW research in the criminal justice system.

Empowerment and Social Support: Implications for Practice and Programming Among Minority Women with Substance Abuse and Criminal Justice Histories.

Programs for women with substance abuse and criminal justice histories often incorporate empowerment and social support into service delivery systems. Women's empowerment research has focused on the relationship between women's personal identities and the larger sociopolitical context, with an emphasis on how community-based resources are critical for promoting well-being. Social support often protects against negative outcomes for individuals who live with chronic stress. However, few studies have evaluated community resource knowledge and empowerment among marginalized women or how social support might strengthen or weaken this relationship. This study investigated resource knowledge, social support, and empowerment among 200 minority women in substance abuse recovery who had recent criminal justice involvement. Results indicated that resource knowledge was related to empowerment and belonging social support marginally moderated this relationship. In addition, education level increased and current involvement in the criminal justice system decreased empowerment. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

A Strengths-Based Approach to Prisoner Reentry: The Fresh Start Prisoner Reentry Program.

Scholars have called for a strengths-based approach to prisoner reentry, yet there are few available program models that outline how to integrate this approach into the current reentry program landscape. The present article highlights a strengths-based prisoner reentry program that provided services to men both pre- and post-release from prison to the community in the United States. Qualitative findings from focus groups provide preliminary support for the strengths-based approach and highlight men's strengths and needs as well as challenges related to the program's implementation. The reentry program then drew from participants' reports to inform program development activities. Implications and recommendations for integrating strengths-based approaches into prisoner reentry interventions are discussed.

From recovery-oriented care to public health: Case studies of participatory public art as a pathway to wellness for persons with behavioral health challenges.

The objective of this study is to identify individual mechanisms of change that result from engaging in an innovative participatory public art project for persons with significant behavioral health challenges. We present two case studies that examine how participatory public art promotes recovery and wellness. This research is part of a larger, multilevel comparative outcome trial on the impact of participatory public art on the health and well-being of adults in recovery from mental illness and addiction and on the distressed city neighborhoods in which they live. The case studies describe the unique ways in which participatory public art contributed to key recovery domains of growth in friendship, self-discovery, giving back, and hope. The two cases indicate that the development of a strengths-based sense of self through art was accompanied by a growth in personal social responsibility. The two cases also indicate that participatory public art may have a profound impact on the internalization of stigma. The findings support the value of participatory public art as a strategy for blending recovery and public health perspectives to promote both individual and community wellness.

Hope and Abstinence Self-Efficacy: Positive Predictors of Negative Affect in Substance Abuse Recovery.

Goal-oriented thinking, including hope and self-efficacy, might play a constructive and integral role in the substance abuse recovery process, although such an effect may differ by race. The current study investigated hope and self-efficacy, specifically abstinence self-efficacy, as predictors of negative affect (i.e. depression and anxiety) in a longitudinal sample of men and women in substance abuse recovery who lived in sober living homes. We found hope agency and self-efficacy were related but not identical constructs; hope agency and self-efficacy predicted depressive and anxiety symptoms for individuals in recovery, yet these relationships were moderated by race. Theoretical and clinical implications for promoting positive affect among individuals in substance abuse recovery are discussed.

Social anxiety and communal living: The influence of social anxiety on men and women in substance abuse recovery homes.

Research has demonstrated high rates of co-occurrence among anxiety and substance use disorders. However, few studies have specifically examined the relationship between substance use and social anxiety among individuals who are in substance abuse recovery. The present study examined social anxiety as a predictor of substance use among a sample randomized to a sober-living home versus usual aftercare. Given the social nature of many substance abuse treatment and aftercare programs, it was also hypothesized that high levels of social anxiety would reduce the length of stay in the sober-living home and negatively influence participation in self-help groups. Results suggested that social anxiety was a significant predictor of relapse at one time point, and that social anxiety decreased the likelihood for remaining in a sober-living house for six months or more. No significant relationship between social anxiety and participation in self-help groups were found. Implications for further research and substance abuse treatment are discussed.

Factors of empowerment for women in recovery from substance use.

Empowerment is an interdisciplinary construct heavily grounded in the theories of community psychology. Although empowerment has a strong theoretical foundation, few context-specific quantitative measures have been designed to evaluate empowerment for specific populations. The present study explored the factor structure of a modified empowerment scale with a cross-sectional sample of 296 women in recovery from substance use who lived in recovery homes located throughout the United States. Results from an exploratory factor analysis identified three factors of psychological empowerment which were closely related to previous conceptualizations of psychological empowerment: self-perception, resource knowledge and participation. Further analyses demonstrated a hierarchical relationship among the three factors, with resource knowledge predicting participation when controlling for self-perception. Finally, a correlational analysis demonstrated the initial construct validity of each factor, as each factor of empowerment was significantly and positively related to self-esteem. Implications for the application of psychological empowerment theory and research are discussed.

Characteristics of sexual assault and disclosure among women in substance abuse recovery homes.

Research suggests that many women experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetime and that women who engage in substance abuse often have a higher incidence of past sexual assault than women in the general population. Given the documented rates of sexual assault among women in recovery from substance use, it is important to explore community interventions that promote positive recovery from substance use and sexual assault. One model that promotes successful substance use recovery is the Oxford House--a democratic, self-supported substance use recovery home. Research demonstrated that living in an Oxford House provides sober social support and that this increased social support may promote the use of positive coping strategies to strengthen recovery from substance use, however; the relationship between social support and sexual assault for women is unclear. Thus, the current study examines the Oxford House model for women in recovery from substance use who have experienced sexual assault. A cross-sectional sample of women living in Oxford Houses in the United States was obtained to examine the relationship among disclosure of sexual assault, social support, and self-esteem. Results suggested that many women used Oxford House as a setting in which to disclosure prior sexual assault. Results also indicated that women who disclosed their assault experience reported higher self-esteem and social support than women who had not disclosed. Possible implications include the value of substance abuse recovery homes as a safe, supportive environment for women to address issues related to sexual assault.