Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40770341›Full record

ArticlePopulation health metrics2025

Prevalence of mental illness, substance use disorder, and dual diagnosis among adults in custody.

Darcy J Coulter, Lindsay A Pearce, Matthew Legge, Jesse T Young, David B Preen, Ed Heffernan, Jocelyn Jones, Stuart A Kinner

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Article in Population health metrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Darcy J CoulterJustice Health Group, enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia. darcy.coulter@curtin.edu.au.
Lindsay A PearceJustice Health Group, enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Matthew LeggeJustice Health Group, enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Jesse T YoungSchool of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
David B PreenSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Ed HeffernanForensic Mental Health Group, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Jocelyn Jones *Maladjiny Research Centre, Kurongkurl Katitjin, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Stuart A Kinner *Justice Health Group, enAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.

Funding

Australian Institute of Criminology Indigenous Justice Research ProgramNational Health and Medical Research Council 2015177
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe prevalence of mental illness, substance use disorders, and their dual diagnosis is disproportionately high among people in prisons compared to the community. Accurate prevalence estimates are required to inform resourcing of prison health services and reduce the risk of harm to people experiencing these conditions. Existing estimates, where available, often rely on only one data source.

methodWe used three data sources - self-reported history of diagnoses, in-prison medical records, and administrative data to estimate the prevalence of mental illness, substance use disorder, and dual diagnosis among two large cohorts of non-Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian prisons. We calculated population-weighted proportions of the samples with each condition. Inter-rater reliability metrics inform data source agreement.

resultsThe prevalence of mental illness only, substance use disorder only, and dual diagnosis was 17.0% (95%CI 12.0-24.5), 14.8% (95%CI 9.6-18.1), and 44.2% (95%CI 33.2-54.7), respectively, for incarcerated, non-Indigenous adults. For incarcerated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, our corresponding estimates were 7.0% (95%CI 4.3-11.5), 26.8% (95%CI 18.9-33.5), and 40.9% (95%CI 30.1-48.2). These estimates differed significantly from those derived from singular data sources. Individual data sources' agreement was weakest for substance use disorder diagnoses and strongest for dual diagnoses.

conclusionsIndividual data sources likely have high specificity and low sensitivity, thus under-ascertaining diagnoses. We recommend using multiple data sources to estimate prevalence to ensure adequate ascertainment of these conditions among people in prison and to ensure in-prison and transitional health services are appropriately resourced.

Indexed as

Mental DisordersPrisonersSubstance-Related DisordersAdolescentAdultAustraliaDiagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry)FemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrevalencePrisonsYoung AdultDual diagnosisIndigenousJustice healthMental illnessPrevalencePrisonSubstance use

Identifiers

PMID40770341
PMCPMC12326852

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.