Behavioral Health Interventions for Incarcerated Adults With Histories of Trauma: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Purpose: The majority of incarcerated individuals have experienced traumatic events in their lifetime, contributing to related behavioral health issues, including post-traumatic stress, mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. The purpose of this article is to understand the existing state of the literature through a scoping review on correctional-based programs that address both trauma and behavioral health. Methods: Proquest and EBSCO databases were searched to identify studies focused on trauma and behavioral health that focused on incarcerated adults in the United States. Results: A total of 25 studies evaluating correctional-based programming on trauma and behavioral health problems. Most included studies reported improvement of behavioral health symptoms as a result of the intervention. Discussion: The findings indicated a need for additional research on behavioral health interventions for incarcerated adults with a history of trauma. Specifically, future research should focus on increasing the methodological rigor of intervention studies and expanding the diversity of included samples.

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and incarceration: The impact on sexual risk-taking, sexually transmitted infections, and depression among Black sexual minority men in HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 061.

“…A systematic review found that over 50% of Black men who experienced trauma may have unmet treatment needs (Motley & Banks, 2018). Despite the high rates of trauma among men involved in the legal system, there has also been a recent call for more interventions and related research on trauma for men who are incarcerated, a population noted to be “significantly underserved” (Grady et al, 2023, p. 14). The results from this study highlight the potential importance of and need for interventions for newly released Black SMM with PTSD symptoms—a population that may be at a heightened risk for contracting STIs.…”