Date of Conferral

2-7-2025

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Simone Salandy

Abstract

Adults who have experienced incarceration face many challenges reentering society. The lack of physical and mental healthcare use has been shown to contribute to recidivism. This cross-sectional study using a multivariate linear regression examined the relationship between physical healthcare use, mental healthcare use, and resilience among formerly incarcerated adults in Southern California while controlling for age, gender and race. Physical healthcare use was defined as the frequency of appointments, having health insurance coverage, and having a usual place of care. Mental healthcare use was defined as needing and receiving mental health treatment. The study used the Resilience Theory to determine if positive coping mechanisms allow previously incarcerated individuals to recover and thrive despite facing adverse challenges. Resilience was operationalized using the Harvard Flourishing Scale. Data were obtained from the University of California San Diego RELINK Service Navigation Program and included a sample size of 134 adult respondents who reported a history of incarceration and resided in Southern California. Results showed a statistically significant association between mental healthcare use and resilience suggesting that engaging with mental healthcare resources can foster resilience. There was no significant association between physical healthcare use and resilience suggesting that the frequency of individuals using physical healthcare services does not impact their levels of resilience. These results highlight that mental healthcare use plays a key role in resilience of formerly incarcerated adults. Future public health research should focus on interventions to improve mental health usage to increase resilience and decrease recidivism.

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