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Table 1 Description of potential predictors of time to re-incarceration and number of participants with missing data (N=1325)

From: Health-related factors predict return to custody in a large cohort of ex-prisoners: new approaches to predicting re-incarceration

Variable

Description 1 (Number with missing data out of full sample)

Demographic

 

  Age

Age at release, categorised into three groups: 18 to 24 years, 25 to 39 years, and 40 years and above (0)

  Female

Female gender (0)

  Indigenous

Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (0)

Criminal justice

 

  Prior adult incarceration

Any prior incarcerations aged ≥17 years (2)

  Juvenile incarceration

Any incarcerations aged <17 years (13)

  Any income from illegal       activities

Any income from illegal activities in the four weeks before incarceration (2)

  Longer sentence (≥6 months)

QCS records (0)

  Drug-related sentence

Drug related sentence according to QCS records (13)

Substance use

  High risk drinking

Scored ≥16 on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Babor et al. 2001), indicating high risk drinking to possible alcohol dependence, with reference to drinking in the year before prison (11)

  Risky cannabis use

Scored ≥4 on the cannabis section of the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) (Humeniuk et al. 2010), indicating moderate to high risk use, with reference to drug use in the three months before prison (1)

  Risky amphetamine use

Scored ≥4 on the amphetamine section of the ASSIST, indicating moderate to high risk use, with reference to drug use in the three months before prison (2)

  Risky opioid use

Scored ≥4 on at least one of the heroin section or the other opiates section of the ASSIST, indicating moderate to high risk use, with reference to drug use in the three months before prison (3)

Mental health

  History of self-harm

Any history of self-harm, including attempted suicide (0)

  CNS medications

Central Nervous System (CNS) medication (defined according to (MIMS 2014)) prescription at time of baseline interview, according to QCS health records accessed with participant consent (94)

  Screens positive for       intellectual disability

At least two of: scored <84.5 on the Hayes Ability Screening Index (HASI) (Hayes 2000); attended a special school; has been diagnosed with an intellectual disability (22)

  High psychological distress

Scored ≥22 on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, indicating high to very high psychological distress (Kessler et al. 2002) (5)

Physical health

  Two or more chronic illnesses

Ever been diagnosed with at least two of: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy or cancer/tumours (0)

  Low physical health   functioning

Scored ≤50.8 (the 25th percentile of the sample) on the SF-36 Version 2 Physical Component Summary measure (Ware et al. 2000), Australian T-normed scores (ABS 1997) (20)

  Obese

BMI > 30kg/m2, where BMI = weight/height2, weight and height from averages of two measurements taken by trained interviewers at baseline interview (7)

  Sedentary

Fortnightly exercise participation <100 minutes (4)

  Any STI

Ever been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (0)

Social support

  Not married or de-facto

Not married or in a de-facto relationship at time of baseline interview (0)

  No visits in past four weeks

Not visited in prison by any community contacts in the four weeks prior to baseline interview (0)

  Low perceived social support

Scored ≤2 on at least two of five items and a total score of ≤18 (ENrICHD Investigators 2001) on the five item ENrICHD Social Support Inventory (Mitchell et al. 2003) (4)

  Taken from family as child

Ever taken away from family as a child (3)

Health involvement

  Low patient activation

Scored ≤55.1 on the Patient Activation Measure, indicating lack of motivation to take an active role in own health care or lack of knowledge and confidence to do so (Hibbard et al. 2004) (13)

  Physical health not important

Reports that it is not very or not at all important to maintain own physical health after release (2)

  Mental health not important

Reports that it is not very or not at all important to maintain own mental health after release (2)

Socioeconomic

  Less than ten years schooling

Less than 10 years of school attended (4)

  Below poverty line

Income in 4 weeks before incarceration below poverty line according to a published Australian standard (MIAESR 2014), accounting for dependents and marital status (2)

  Unstable housing

No stable accommodation in the month prior to incarceration (0)

  Unemployed

No part-time, full-time or casual employment in the 6 months prior to incarceration (0)

  1. 1Variables are from participant self-report unless otherwise stated.