The Relationship Between Drug Use, Drug-related Arrests, and Chronic Pain Among Adults on Probation.

ABSTRACT: The intersection between chronic health conditions, drug use, and treatment seeking behavior among adults in the criminal justice system has been largely understudied. This study examined whether chronic pain was associated with opiate use, other illicit drug use, and drug-related arrests in a sample of substance-using probationers. We expected that probationers with chronic pain-related diagnoses would report more opiate use and drug-related arrests. This study used baseline data from 250 adults on probation in Baltimore, Maryland and Dallas, Texas who were participating in a larger clinical trial. Eighteen percent of probationers in this sample reported suffering from chronic pain. In bivariate analyses, probationers with chronic pain reported more drug-related arrests (t=-1.81; p<0.05)

SUBMITTER: Reingle Gonzalez JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4414689 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature