Health and Care Needs of Young Adults Exiting Jail.

Abstract

Reentry is a difficult juncture for young adults (ages 18-24 years), who simultaneously face challenges of emerging adulthood. Although their health-related needs may be substantial, little is reported on young adults' reentry health care and social service needs. Furthermore, empirical measurements of factors affecting their engagement in reentry services after jail are lacking. We sought to describe health needs and predictors of linkages to reentry services for the 2,525 young adult participants in the Whole Person Care-LA Reentry program (WPC Reentry). Descriptive statistics were calculated and chi-square tests, t tests, and logistic regression were performed to identify factors associated with linkage to WPC Reentry postrelease compared with only engaging with WPC Reentry prerelease. Most participants (72.6%) were male, 80.2% were Hispanic or Black, and 60.9% had been unhoused. Mental health (57.2%) and substance use disorders (45.8%) were common, physical health was overall good (mean Charlson Comorbidity Index score 0.53), and social needs, especially housing, were high (40.7%). Older age (i.e., closer to 25 years) and history of being unhoused were associated with higher postrelease engagement in WPC Reentry (age: odds ratio [OR] = 1.06, p = .01; history of being unhoused: OR = 1.18, p = .05). Attentiveness to younger clients and to addressing housing needs may be key for successful reentry care linkages.