Factors Predicting Unmet Health Services Needs
Among Incarcerated Substance Users
Five factors emerged as statistically significant predictors: race, education, serious
illness incidents, psychopathology, and frequency of drug use. African American and other
minority respondents (non-White) were 31% less likely to report unmet physical health
care needs than were White respondents. Those who did not have high school education
were 38% less likely to report unmet physical health care needs than were those with high
school education and above. Those with more serious illness incidents and more types of
psychopathology symptoms were more likely to report unmet physical health care needs.
For each additional incident of serious illness, the likelihood of reporting unmet physical
health care needs increased 1.10 times, whereas for each additional point of increase in
the psychopathology scale the likelihood of reporting unmet needs increased 1.28 times.
In addition, each additional unit increase on the scale of frequency pattern of drug use
increased the likelihood of reporting unmet needs for physical health services 1.13 times.