Individual factors predicting mental health court diversion outcome
Date
2011-06-01
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Abstract
Little research has examined which individual factors may predict mental health
court diversion outcome. Using data provided by a non-profit mental health services
agency operating in the Durham Region in Ontario, this study examined 419 persons with
mental illness participating in a post-charge diversion program. Socio-demographic and
clinical characteristics were employed to investigate the relationship between clientspecific
factors and level of program completion. Logistic regression results revealed that
unemployment was a significant predictor of program completion. Employment and
symptom severity were predictive of partial completion of court diversion. Additionally,
participants who did not complete programming were more likely to have a concurrent
disorder and were more likely to be residentially unstable than participants who did
complete programming. These findings are discussed with respect to their implications
for practice and future research.
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Keywords
Mental health diversion, Treatment outcome, Client-specific characteristics