Social Support and Continuing Care Narcotic Psychiatric Patients Released from Prison
Keywords:
Continuing Care, Narcotic Psychiatric Patient, Need of Social Support, Social SupportAbstract
This descriptive research aimed to examine social support, continuity of care, and the problems and needs related to social support among psychiatric patients with substance use disorders who had been released from prison. The sample consisted of 557 participants, including 47 psychiatric patients with substance use disorders, 47 caregivers, 140 registered nurses, and 323 community leaders and community members. Participants were selected using purposive sampling and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using questionnaires assessing social support, continuity of care, and the problems and needs related to social support among formerly incarcerated psychiatric patients with substance use disorders. The instruments were reviewed by three experts for content validity. The Social Support and Social Support Needs Questionnaire demonstrated a content validity index (CVI) of .70, while the Community Continuity of Care Questionnaire showed item-objective congruence (IOC) values ranging from .67 to 1.00. The reliability of the instruments was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, which were .97 for the Social Support and Social Support Needs Questionnaire and .82 for the Community Continuity of Care Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.
The results indicated that overall social support was at a moderate level. Regarding living conditions, 74.50% of participants had their own homes. The relationships between patients and caregivers, as well as between patients and neighbors, were also rated at a moderate level. In terms of mental health care and psychiatric symptoms, 66.00% of patients reported consistent medication adherence and psychiatric treatment, whereas 54.30% reported substance use. Stress management was practiced by 84.00% of the patients. For support from local health personnel and community networks, 53.20% of patients received assistance, and 54.30% were regularly monitored for symptoms. These findings may support the development of community-participatory care models aimed at fostering successful community reintegration and enhancing the quality of life among this vulnerable population.
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