Embedding a Co-occurring Disorders Rehabilitation Intervention in Veterans Courts: A Pilot Study with Male Veterans.

Veterans treatment courts (VTCs) have expanded dramatically despite their limited empirical base. This pilot study examined MISSION-Criminal Justice (CJ), a co-occurring disorders wraparound intervention, delivered alongside two VTCs. Baseline data from 26 male veterans enrolled in two VTCs and MISSION-CJ, and 6-month follow-up data for 18 of the 26 veterans, are presented. Veterans on average were 37.5 years old, 85% Caucasian, had significant histories of criminal justice involvement (14.3 lifetime arrests), had an average of 14.7 years of alcohol use and 9.3 years of illicit drug use, and roughly three-quarters reported mental health symptomatology. At 6-month follow-up, veterans demonstrated improvements in behavioral health, substance use, and criminal justice outcomes. This study demonstrated promising preliminary outcomes of MISSION-CJ in VTCs. A randomized controlled trial is a critical next step to examine whether these outcomes remain consistent with a more rigorous design.

College students' experiences early in the COVID-19 pandemic: Applications for ongoing support.

OBJECTIVE: To explore U.S. college students' experiences during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. PARTICIPANTS: Students at a Northeastern public university. METHODS: Participants were interviewed via videoconference between April 1 and May 31, 2020. Interviews were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed; analyzed using deductive and inductive approaches to thematic analysis. RESULTS: 34 students (68% female; 56% racial/ethnic minority) participated. Deductively derived themes included: (1) trust/mistrust; (2) desire for change; (3) precarity; and (4) silver linings. Subthemes included variation in vaccine confidence, concern regarding inequalities, and anxiety about education. Building on deductively derived themes, we hypothesized that participation in change-oriented activities could benefit well-being and novel approaches to information dissemination may be needed to overcome institutional distrust. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers insights into potential short and long-term pandemic impacts as well as mitigation strategies college and university faculty and administrations may consider.

Implementation of MISSION-Criminal Justice in a Treatment Court: Preliminary Outcomes Among Individuals With Co-occurring Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Mental health courts provide an alternative to incarceration and address both mental health and criminal justice needs. Many individuals within these treatment courts also have co-occurring substance use disorders. This pilot study examined the preliminary effectiveness of Maintaining Independence and Sobriety through Systems Integration, Outreach, and Networking-Criminal Justice (MISSION-CJ), an intervention that targets co-occurring disorders and criminal justice risk factors within a mental health court. METHODS: Participants (N=97) were enrolled in mental health court and MISSION-CJ community wraparound services. RESULTS: Participants were primarily male with an average age of 34, had spent an average of more than 5 years incarcerated, and had an average of 13.94 years of illegal drug use; 91% had experienced depression. Preliminary 6-month outcomes showed significant reduction in nights incarcerated (p<0.002), illegal drug use (p<0.003), trauma symptoms (p<0.004), and behavioral health symptoms (p<0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary findings suggest promise for delivery of MISSION-CJ to participants in a mental health court.