Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41980714›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol review2026

Factors Associated With Adult Incarceration Among People With Opioid Use Disorder in New South Wales, Australia.

Christel Macdonald, Chrianna Bharat, Louisa Degenhardt, Matthew Hickman, Jack Stone, Rachel Sutherland, Mary Harrod, Jason Grebely, Thomas Santo

Erratum issuedAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol review, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Christel MacdonaldNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-0600-9252
Chrianna BharatNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Louisa DegenhardtNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Matthew HickmanNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Jack StonePopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Rachel SutherlandNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5337-1751
Mary HarrodNSW Users and AIDS Association, Sydney, Australia.
Jason GrebelyThe Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1833-2017
Thomas SantoNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Funding

TRANSFORM - Transforming the evidence base on estimating prevalence of opioid use disorder and expanded access to interventions to prevent drug related deaths: an international data linkage studyR01DA059822 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES · PI Joshua Adam Barocas, Louisa Degenhardt · 2024 to 2026
$2.3M
National Drug and Alcohol Research CentreNational Health and Medical Research Council 1135991National Health and Medical Research Council 1150078National Health and Medical Research Council 1176131National Health and Medical Research Council 2016825National Health and Medical Research Council 2034002NIDA NIH HHS 1R01DA059822-01A1NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA059822
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPeople with opioid use disorder (OUD) are at elevated risk of incarceration. Understanding factors linked to this risk may support more targeted prevention and intervention efforts. This study used cross-sectional survey data to examine associations with time to first incarceration and repeated incarceration among individuals with OUD. Additionally, we wanted to examine the characteristics of people with opioid dependence who had been incarcerated.

methodsData were drawn from 297 adults with OUD in New South Wales, Australia (2023-2024). Participants completed structured interviews covering socio-demographics, substance use, adverse childhood experiences and criminal justice contact. A discrete-time event analysis examined correlates of first adult incarceration from age 18.

resultsOverall, 58% of participants reported having been incarcerated. In adjusted models, injecting drug use increased the risk of first-time incarceration in any given year (aOR: 3.55, 1.08-11.66), as did childhood exposure to household substance use (aOR: 1.80, 1.15-2.82), and being male (aOR: 1.83, 1.24-2.69). Greater secondary education reduced incarceration odds (aOR: 0.56, 0.37-0.86). In any given year, younger adults (18-24 years) were at highest risk of incarceration, whereas those aged 35 or older had notably lower odds (aOR: 0.16, 0.09-0.29). DISCUSSION AND

conclusionsInjecting drug use, limited education, and childhood exposure to household substance use were associated with higher incarceration risk. There is a need to consider broader social and developmental factors in supporting individuals with OUD. While systemic change is complex, this study adds to the evidence base that can inform more integrated approaches to reducing incarceration risk.

Indexed as

IncarcerationOpioid-Related DisordersPrisonersAdolescentAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNew South WalesRisk FactorsSubstance Abuse, IntravenousYoung Adultdiscrete‐time event analysisincarcerationinjecting drug useoffendingopioid use disordersocial determinants of justice

Identifiers

PMID41980714
PMCPMC13078918

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Registered trials

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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.