The Relationship between Lifetime Opioid Use and Mental and Physical Health among Incarcerated Individuals

Relationships between opioid use and health, both physical and mental, have been discovered over the last decade or so, but these relationships have yet to be explored among incarcerated individuals. These relationships are important as they may have implications on the health of those who are incarcerated and nearing reentry, because higher rates of opioid use, as well as poor physical and mental health, are found among those who are justice-involved compared with the general population. Using baseline data from a multistate randomized controlled trial, authors aimed to fill this gap by exploring mental health disorder rates and physical health among a sample of incarcerated individuals who report lifetime opioid use and nearing community reentry. Results showed that the prevalence of lifetime opioid use was significantly associated with increased physical role limitation, decreased emotional well-being, and overall poorer health. Additionally, individuals with a lifetime history of opioid use were significantly more likely to have depression, social and generalized anxiety disorders, as well as a history of alcohol and illicit substance use. This work speaks to the urgency in expanding efforts to increase access to comprehensive service delivery models that address substance use, mental health, and physical health comorbidities among incarcerated individuals.