Table 1.
Study sample characteristics and distressing symptom burden, N=125
| Characteristic | N (%) |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Sociodemographics | |
| Age (y), Mean (± SD), Range | 60.1 ± 5.0, 55–87 |
| Race/ethnicity | |
| Black | 84 (67) |
| White/Non-Latino | 24 (19) |
| Latino | 8 (6) |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 4 (3) |
| Mixed Race/Other | 5 (4) |
| Female | 8 (6) |
| Annual Income <$15,000 | 108 (86) |
| Education | |
| Less than a high school degree | 33 (26) |
| Received GED in the community, jail or prison | 17 (14) |
| Completed high school degree in community | 35 (28) |
| Completed some college but no degree | 33 (26) |
| Achieved a college degree or higher | 7 (6) |
|
| |
| Chronic Illness | |
| Hypertension | 75 (60) |
| Diabetes | 20 (16) |
| Cancer (not including skin) | 3 (2) |
| Chronic Lung Disease | 25 (20) |
| Heart attack, coronary disease, or angina | 15 (12) |
| Congestive heart failure | 7 (6) |
| Stroke | 8 (6) |
| HIV/AIDS | 9 (7) |
| Dialysis (Chronic Renal Failure) | 1 (1) |
| Hepatitis C (HCV) | 59 (48) |
| Arthritis | 55 (44) |
| Pulmonary Hypertension | 1 (1) |
| Cirrhosis | 1 (1) |
| 1 or more chronic illness | 107 (86) |
| 2 or more chronic illnesses | 76 (61) |
|
| |
| Serious Mental Illness (SMI) | 53 (42) |
|
| |
| (+) Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) a | 82 (66) |
| (+) Modified Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) b | 47 (38) |
|
| |
| Functional Ability | |
| Needing help with one or more ADL | 68 (54) |
|
| |
| Self-Rated Health | |
| Poor or Fair | 61 (49) |
| Good, very good or excellent | 64 (51) |
|
| |
| Transitional Care Challenges | |
| Homelessnessc | 73 (61) |
| Lack of control over healthd | 24 (20) |
| High concern about staying safe following release from jaile | 53 (42) |
| No primary care provider | 48 (38) |
|
| |
| Distressing Physical Symptomsf | |
| Distressing, frequent… | |
| …Pain | 35 (28) |
| …Lack of energy | 9 (7) |
| …Cough | 8 (6) |
| …Nausea or vomiting | 3 (2) |
| …Feeling drowsy | 3 (2) |
| …Difficulty sleeping | 19 (15) |
| …Shortness of breath | 10 (8) |
| …Diarrhea | 6 (5) |
| …Sweats | 5 (4) |
| …Itching | 12 (10) |
| …Lack of appetite | 5 (4) |
| …Dizziness | 6 (5) |
| One or more distressing physical symptom | 55 (44) |
|
| |
| Distressing Psychological Symptomsg | |
| Depression | 32 (26) |
| Anxiety | 38 (30) |
| One or more psychological symptom | 46 (37) |
|
| |
| Existential distressh | |
| Feeling like you are no longer who you used to be | 15 (12) |
| Not feeling worthwhile or valued | 12 (10) |
| Not being able to carry out important roles | 18 (14) |
| Feeling that life no longer has meaning or purpose | 9 (7) |
| Feeling that you have not made a meaningful or lasting contribution in your life | 16 (13) |
| Feeling of having ‘unfinished business’ | 28 (23) |
| Concern that spiritual life is not meaningful | 8 (6) |
| Feeling like a burden to others | 10 (8) |
| Feeling guilty | 22 (18) |
| Feeling that you have missed out on things in life due to substance use | 38 (30) |
| Fear of dying in jail or prison rather than as a free person | 34 (27) |
| One or more symptom of existential distress | 68 (54) |
|
| |
| Social distressi | |
| One or more symptom of Loneliness | 56 (45) |
“moderate”, “substantial” and “severe” problem drug use in the Drug Abuse Screening Test
hazardous drinking or active alcohol use disorder in the AUDIT-C
spending at least one night outside or in a homeless shelter within thirty days of arrest
a response of “3” or lower to the HRS question: “Using a 0–10 scale, where 0 means ‘no control at all’ and 10 means ‘very much control’, how much control do you have over your health these days?”
a response of “8” or higher to the statement, “On a scale of 0 to ten, where 0 is not concerned at all and 10 is extremely concerned, tell me how concerned you are about staying safe.”
symptom reported to: 1) occur “frequently” or “almost constantly,” 2) be “moderately severe”, “severe”, or “very severe,” and 3) be “somewhat”, “quite a bit” or “very much” bothersome using the MSAS
reporting one or more depressive symptom on the Patient Health Questionaire-2 and/or one or more anxiety symptom on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2)
reporting that any one of 10 measures of existential distress in the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) was a “major” or “overwhelming” problem.
a positive screen on the validated Three Item Loneliness Scale