Dual pathology and mental disorders in substance-using prisoners

Abstract

The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of dual pathology and suicide risks in substance-using prisoners and to analyze the factors associated with their development. The sample consisted of 143 prisoners (95.8% male) confined in the prison of Villabona (Asturias, Spain). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used. Thirty-five percent of inmates were found to have a dual diagnosis and 60.6% of this subsample presented risk of suicide. We found that to have been a childhood victim of physical abuse increases the likelihood of developing substance use disorder, anxiety disorder and/or dual pathology. However, having been a victim of psychological abuse raises the risk of developing mood and psychotic disorders.