Problem drinking and/or problem use of illicit drugs Mental and Behavioural Disorders Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
Conditions
Interventions
All of the men will have access to all standard facilities or interventions, as required or available, within the prison for the duration of their involvement in the study. These will include exercise
Sponsors
Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board (UK)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Male
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Men 18 years old or older 2. New receptions into one prison who are likely to remain there for more than four weeks but less than six months, regardless of pre-trial or conviction status (in previous research we have devised a system for correctly predicting the lower figure with 64% accuracy) 3. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms from alcohol and/or illicit drugs on/soon after arrival 4. Scoring 16+ on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (Saunders JB, Aasland OG, Babor TF and De la Fuente JR. [1993]. Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification test [AUDIT]. WHO Collaborative Project on Early Detection of Persons with Harmful Alcohol Consumption. Addiction 88 [6]: 791) 5. Scoring 15+ on the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) (Skinner HA. [1982]. The Drug Abuse Screening Test. Addictive Behaviours 7[4]:363-71)
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Being under a sentence of more than 12 months in prison 2. Not meeting the criteria for problem drinking and/or drug use, as above 3. Not having sufficient English language fluency to participate in the groups (we do not have sufficient resources to be able to run the groups in languages other than English)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Locus of control as measured by the Locus of Control of Behaviour scale (Craig, A. R., Franklin, J. A., & Andrews, G. [1984]. A scale to measure locus of control of behaviour. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 57, 173-180). This measure will first be taken not more than 7 days before attending the groups and secondly not more than 7 days after completing them (about 4 weeks apart); the comparison men not doing the groups will complete the measure at about the same times as the men in the groups. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Substance use in this imprisonment: number of occasions reported and/or detected/adjudicated 2. Completion of a personal plan for substance misuse management after leaving prison: yes/no 3. Qualitative analysis of the plan, to identify components and themes in developing the plan 4. General mental state as measured before and after the groups or at equivalent times for non-group men using the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) 4. Specification of attendance at a relevant community facility: yes/no; specification of facility/facilities: yes/no 5. Actual attendance at the specified facility/facilities within three months of leaving prison. This will be assessed through contact with participants, where possible, with verification and/or additional information from checking with that facility or any other specified. When contact is made, each man will also be asked to complete the locus of control scale again. 6. Number of returns to prison/new charges or convictions, if any, in the 12 months after release (this time period has been selected because official crime statistics show that two-thirds of men under short-term sentences will re-offend within a year) | — |
Countries
United Kingdom, Wales
Outcome results
None listed