A review of treatment programs for offenders with co-occurring addictive and mental disorders: support for booster interventions

Background: Treatment interventions are essential in supporting psychosocial skills, health promotion and successful reintegration to community living for incarcerated persons. Booster interventions are presumed to be important methods for maintaining the effects of treatment effects for persons with addiction and mental disorders, but there has been remarkably little empirical attention to this assumption. Objectives: This review aims are: (1) to describe existing literature on treatment programs for offenders with addiction and mental disorders in the reentry process, and, (2) to add to the literature on this topic by evaluating the impact of booster interventions upon maintenance of treatment effects and outcomes - specifically, a reduction in symptoms, reduced substance abuse, medication adherence, coping, independent functioning and decreased depressive symptoms. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for systematic reviews from January 2004 through January 2014 to include: CINAHL PubMed, and PsycINFO using selected keywords. Inclusion criteria were adult offenders, a treatment intervention in prison, jail, or forensic psychiatric hospital with a reentry focus for offenders with addiction and mental disorder. The AMSTAR was utilized to assess quality of the reviews. Results: Three systematic reviews were identified to examine treatment interventions for offenders with addiction and mental disorders. Little empirical evidence is available to demonstrate the contribution of booster interventions to overall treatment effects among justice-involved persons. Conclusion: Although evidence is not available, clinically it seems reasonable to expect booster interventions for offenders to reinforce treatment gains, strengthen self-care skills, and manage symptoms. Implications: Research designed specifically to study booster interventions are needed. Keywords: offender reentry, correctional institutions, offenders, treatment programs, mental illness, booster program

A Case Study using the Biopsychosocial Vulnerability-Stress Model as a framework to understand the incarceration experience

In the United States, the Center for Disease Control estimates that about 80% of incarcerated inmates have a substance abuse problem. More than one fourth of inmates are in prisons because of drug related arrests. Additionally, many inmates have cooccurring mental illness disorders as well as health related issues. A multiple (four) case study design was used to explore the association between co-occurring diagnoses, antisocial traits and challenging behaviors within the incarcerated population. The analysis revealed that the four co-occurring diagnoses studied did contribute to poor health outcomes. Study findings suggest that there is a great need to create services within the Department of Correction to assist inmates with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse for improved health outcomes

A Booster Intervention in a Connecticut Correctional Institution: A Pilot Study

Archival abstract submitte

A review of treatment programs for offenders with co-occurring addictive and mental disorders: support for booster interventions

Background: Treatment interventions are essential in supporting psychosocial skills, health promotion and successful reintegration to community living for incarcerated persons. Booster interventions are presumed to be important methods for maintaining the effects of treatment effects for persons with addiction and mental disorders, but there has been remarkably little empirical attention to this assumption. Objectives: This review aims are: (1) to describe existing literature on treatment programs for offenders with addiction and mental disorders in the reentry process, and, (2) to add to the literature on this topic by evaluating the impact of booster interventions upon maintenance of treatment effects and outcomes - specifically, a reduction in symptoms, reduced substance abuse, medication adherence, coping, independent functioning and decreased depressive symptoms. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for systematic reviews from January 2004 through January 2014 to include: CINAHL PubMed, and PsycINFO using selected keywords. Inclusion criteria were adult offenders, a treatment intervention in prison, jail, or forensic psychiatric hospital with a reentry focus for offenders with addiction and mental disorder. The AMSTAR was utilized to assess quality of the reviews. Results: Three systematic reviews were identified to examine treatment interventions for offenders with addiction and mental disorders. Little empirical evidence is available to demonstrate the contribution of booster interventions to overall treatment effects among justice-involved persons. Conclusion: Although evidence is not available, clinically it seems reasonable to expect booster interventions for offenders to reinforce treatment gains, strengthen self-care skills, and manage symptoms. Implications: Research designed specifically to study booster interventions are needed. Keywords: offender reentry, correctional institutions, offenders, treatment programs, mental illness, booster program

Core curricular priorities for professional development of nurses in correctional systems: a Delphi study

Objective: To identify the core curricular elements to assure competency and professional development of registered nurses working with justice-involved populations. Background: Numerous assessments of education priorities have been articulated for nurses working with patients who interface with justice systems. But no consensus of what comprises the core elements of a curriculum for nurses employed by justice systems has been published. Guidance from correctional nurse education experts is needed. Design: A web-based Delphi survey methodology was used. Three de-identified surveys were sent to academic and clinical correctional nurse educators two weeks apart by email following an invitation and voluntary agreement to participate. An IRB waiver was sought and obtained. Setting and participants: Expert educator participants were identified through internet searches of publications, grants and referrals. Participants include 14 nurse academicians who teach correctional health topics, 5 clinical nurse educators employed in correctional settings across the US, and 1 international academician. Results: Thirteen core curricular elements were identified, prioritized and clustered under sub-headings of knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Two types of programming were identified: professional development for new nurses entering correctional systems; and, maintenance of clinical competency. Use of evidence-based educational materials were identified as important. Conclusion: There is consensus that a core curriculum is needed to bring standardization to educational programming for correctional nursing. Identification of a core curricula is a fundamental step toward recognition of the professional expertise required in this forensic nursing sub-specialty. Targeted competency development curricula can reduce costs associated with high rates of attrition, delayed readiness for clinical service, poor quality of care and high error rates and missed care omissions

Using Simulation With Nursing Students To Promote Affirmative Practice Toward The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Population: A Multisite Study

AIM The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of a transgender simulation on nursing students\u27 affirmative practice when caring for a transgender person. BACKGROUND There is a paucity of research that assesses the attitudes of nursing students toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons and a deficit in nursing curricula regarding LGBT content. METHOD A nonexperimental, pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate nursing students\u27 affirmative practice when caring for a transgender patient using the Gay Affirmative Practice Scale. RESULTS A Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a statistical significance in Gay Affirmative Practice scores after the simulation with a small effect size. These results suggest that the transgender simulation supported nursing students\u27 attitudes and affirmative practice when providing nursing care to a transgender person. CONCLUSION Experiential learning in nursing education is an effective approach to teach cultural competence and sensitivity in caring for vulnerable populations

Enhancing Empathy in Undergraduate Nursing Students: An Experiential Ostomate Simulation.

aim The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate an experiential learning simulation created to enhance nursing students\u27 empathy during patient care encounters. background The investigators proposed that an ostomy simulation experience would be an efficient method for providing this educational content. method Content analysis was conducted on essays using Krippendorff\u27s technique to quantify the simulation. results Each unit of measure, or paper, contained between 1 to 14 empathie comments. Of the total sample, 22.8 percent had three or five empathie comments; 10 percent had four, and 9 percent had six or more comments per paper. Eighty-five percent of participants felt this simulation experience was beneficial for enhancing empathy in clinical practice. conclusion The assignment was an effective, objective method that utilized simulation to teach empathy to baccalaureate nursing students

Enhancing Empathy In Undergraduate Nursing Students: An Experiential Ostomate Simulation

aim The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate an experiential learning simulation created to enhance nursing students\u27 empathy during patient care encounters. background The investigators proposed that an ostomy simulation experience would be an efficient method for providing this educational content. method Content analysis was conducted on essays using Krippendorff\u27s technique to quantify the simulation. results Each unit of measure, or paper, contained between 1 to 14 empathie comments. Of the total sample, 22.8 percent had three or five empathie comments; 10 percent had four, and 9 percent had six or more comments per paper. Eighty-five percent of participants felt this simulation experience was beneficial for enhancing empathy in clinical practice. conclusion The assignment was an effective, objective method that utilized simulation to teach empathy to baccalaureate nursing students

Creating Caring And Empathic Nurses: A Simulated Ostomate

Background: This qualitative study explored the lived experience of student nurses (N = 69) wearing an ostomy appliance for 48 hours in a clinical simulation experience. Method: The descriptive phenomenology by Colaizzi (1978) was used to study the question: What are the themes that emerge to describe the lived experience of an ostomate? Results: Five themes are emerged from written reflections. Conclusion: Students\u27 retention and application of the information learned in simulation may influence clinical practice and improve patient outcomes. Insight into nursing students\u27 transformation on caring and empathy into their practice, the art of nursing, was gleaned from this study