Uniting needs, responses, and theory during reentry: The distinct and joint contributions of peer influence and religious/spiritual support on substance use

ABSTRACT

Using a dual framework of differential association and the risk-need-responsivity model, this study uses data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative to investigate how peer criminality, peer support, and religious or spiritual support impact substance use during reentry. Results indicate that less peer criminality and more religious/spiritual support relate to lower levels of substance use, and in both independent and interdependent ways. However, results also suggest that religious/spiritual support interacts with high amounts of peer support to increase substance use. Collectively, the three elements of risks, needs, and responses may be intertwined in the case of peer influence and religious/spiritual support.

KEYWORDS:

• Differential association
• peer criminality
• peer support
• reentry
• religious/spiritual support
• risk-need-responsivity

Notes

We also examined the results using pairwise deletion and multiple imputation to the full sample size. The results of these models were substantively identical to the forthcoming models we present in the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported in part by the Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, which has core funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P2CHD050959).