Investigating the Relationship between Social Support and Mental Health Functioning among People with Serious Mental Illnesses on Probation in North Carolina

Introduction: People with mental illnesses are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Justice-involved people with mental illnesses experience worse criminal justice outcomes and are at increased risk of homelessness, unemployment, stigma, trauma, and poor physical health. Low social support is repeatedly associated with worse mental health outcomes in the general population but little is known about prosocial support among probationers with serious mental illnesses and its impact on mental health functioning. We sought to investigate the relationship between social support and mental health functioning for probationers with severe mental illnesses. Methods: A cross-sectional study design, using data from a large, randomized controlled trial of specialty mental health probation, was used to examine the relationships between social support and mental health functioning. To assess social support, we used the Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ) and to assess mental health functioning we used the Symptom Checklist-10-Revised (SCL-10-R). The sample was separated into probationers who self-reported high vs. low social support and we used bivariate inferential statistics to examine the relationship between group status (i.e. high vs. low social support) and demographic and mental health outcomes. Results: Probationers with depression and PTSD were more likely to self-report low social support. Additionally, the low support group reported higher symptomatology of mental illness than the high support group. Probationers in the low support group also reported lower quality relationships with their probation officers. Discussion: The findings presented here have important practical implications for developing needs assessments for people who are justice-involved. Future research should inform the possibility of probation officers providing social support to people on probation; investigate the feasibility of delivering trauma-informed care in the criminal justice system; and highlight the importance of connecting people with mental illnesses to appropriate social supports and community services.Bachelor of Science in Public Healt

Social support among people with mental illnesses on probation

Objective: Justice-involved people with mental illnesses, in general, experience poor criminal justice outcomes (i.e., high rates of recidivism and probation revocations) and are at increased risk of homelessness, unemployment, stigma, trauma, and poor physical health. Low social support is repeatedly associated with worse mental health outcomes in the general population but little is known about social support among probationers with serious mental illnesses. Method: To address these gaps in the literature, we used an observational cross-sectional study design and data from a large, randomized controlled trial of specialty mental health probation to examine self-reported social support and its relationships with mental health functioning and other outcomes for individuals with serious mental illnesses on supervised probation. Results: Probationers who self-reported lower levels of social support also reported greater mental health symptomatology and reported lower quality relationships with their probation officers. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Low social support among probationers with mental illnesses has important implications for mental health and criminal justice practice and policy. Coordinating services between the criminal justice and mental health systems to offer opportunities for social support and meaningful community engagement for those with mental illnesses who are on probation could improve a number of mental health and criminal justice outcomes for this population. Peer support and supported employment services, for example, in addition to outpatient mental health services, could be two strategies that could address social isolation and help individuals living with mental illnesses optimize their recovery and rehabilitation