J Matthew Webster
Biographic Data
| ID | 4232117 |
|---|---|
| NAME | J Matthew Webster |
| GIVEN NAMES | J Matthew |
| FAMILY NAME | Webster |
| SIGNATURE | WEBSTER J M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Kentucky |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8197-0329 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 37 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Mental Health, Interpersonal Trauma, and Violent Offending in a Sample of Justice-Involved Women With Opioid Use Histories
There is a known relationship between mental health, victimization, and perpetration of violence, yet few studies have investigated this relationship with substance-using women. The current study examined differences in psychological diagnoses, mental health symptoms, and interpersonal trauma between violent and nonviolent female offenders with opioid use histories. Findings revealed that lifetime mental health diagnoses and interpersonal trauma …
Overdose education and naloxone distribution among women with a history of OUD transitioning to the community following jail release
BACKGROUND: The criminal legal system (CLS) provides a critical intervention point for women at high risk for overdose, and the need continues to rise as the number of incarcerated women increases. Effective, targeted prevention interventions to reduce overdose risk for CLS-involved women are needed, such as naloxone distribution. This study describes the overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) procedures used in the Kentucky-hub of t…
Exploring the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and internalized substance use stigma: A mediation analysis among incarcerated women
While adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health (MH) may significantly influence internalized substance use stigma (ISUS), these relationships remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by: (1) examining bivariate relationships between ACEs, MH, and ISUS, and (2) investigating the mediating role of MH-specifically anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-in this relationship. As part of the ongoing NIDA…
Overdose Experiences Among a Sample of Women in Jail with Opioid Use Disorder
Background: Previous non-fatal overdose may increase risk of overdose fatality for women reentering the community following incarceration, but pre-incarceration overdose experiences are understudied. This study describes the prevalence and correlates of non-fatal overdose prior to jail among women with opioid use disorder (OUD). Methods: Women (N = 700) were randomly selected from eight Kentucky jails, screened for OUD, and interviewed as part of…
Protective Factors Associated With Lower Likelihood of Injection Drug Use and Experiencing Overdose Among Incarcerated Women
When Driving Under the Influence Leads to Manslaughter: Perceptions of Plea Bargains
The present study examined perceptions of driving under the influence (DUI) manslaughter cases that result in plea bargains. Participants (32 women, 23 men) read a vignette describing a DUI case in which the intoxicated driver hit and killed another person and were then asked to answer questions about their perceptions of the case. We used a within-participant design and manipulated the age of the victim, the type of plea bargain, and the locatio…
Scales for participant Alliance with Recovery Coach (SPARC): Initial development and pilot test
Recovery coaches are individuals with lived experience with recovery from substance use disorder who typically engender a greater sense of trust than found with other types of healthcare providers. However, there currently are no validated tools that measure the connection between recovery coaches and their participants. The purpose of this study was to describe the initial development of the Scales for Participant Alliance with Recovery Coach (S…
Community Relationship Quality and Reincarceration Following Rural Drug-Using Women’s Reentry From Jail
Interpersonal relationships and social support are important factors in women’s successful reentry from incarceration, but limited research has explored the role of women’s relationships to their communities during the reentry process. In the current study, women were recruited from three rural Appalachian jails, screened for high-risk behaviors (including drug use and unprotected sex), and interviewed at 12 months postrelease ( N = 339). Intervi…
Rural‐Urban Differences in Breast Reconstruction Utilization Following Oncologic Resection
BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction (BR) is the reconstructive surgical technique that focuses on restoring normal form and function to the breast following oncologic resection. The goal of this study was to determine if BR disparities exist among rural female patients in Kentucky. METHODS: A retrospective (2006-2015), population-based cohort study was conducted on breast cancer patients (stages I-III) treated with mastectomy with or without BR. We…
Staying Out: Reentry Protective Factors Among Rural Women Offenders
The current study examines protective factors for women who transition from county jails to rural Appalachian communities, areas with limited health and behavioral health services. The study included drug-using women recruited from three jails in rural Appalachia and were followed 12-months post-release. Analyses focused on differences between women who remained in the community and those who returned to custody, as well as a multivariate model t…
HIV Prevention in Rural Appalachian Jails: Implications for Re-entry Risk Reduction Among Women Who Use Drugs
Characteristics of Prescription-Opioid-Impaired and Other Substance-Impaired Drivers in Rural Appalachian Kentucky
Previous studies have highlighted the prescription opioid epidemic in rural Appalachia and its associated risk behaviors; however, no studies have examined prescription-opioid-impaired driving as a consequence of this epidemic. The purpose of the present study was to describe prescription-opioid-impaired drivers in rural Appalachian Kentucky and examine how they are similar to and different from other substance-impaired drivers from the region. A…
A Facebook Follow‐Up Strategy for Rural Drug‐Using Women
PURPOSE: Facebook (FB) use has grown exponentially over the past decade, including in rural areas. Despite its popularity, FB has been underutilized as a research follow-up approach to maintain contact with research participants and may have advantages in less densely populated areas and among more hard-to-reach, at-risk groups. The overall goal of this study was to examine FB as a supplemental follow-up approach to other follow-up strategies wit…
Partner Relationships and Injection Sharing Practices among Rural Appalachian Women
METelemedicine: A Pilot Study With Rural Alcohol Users on Community Supervision
PURPOSE: This pilot study examined a telemedicine-based intervention using motivational enhancement therapy (METelemedicine) to reduce alcohol use among a sample of at-risk, rural alcohol users. METHODS: A total of 127 rural alcohol users were recruited from community supervision offices and engaged in brief intervention sessions using telemedicine. Analysis examined alcohol outcomes at 3 months postbaseline. FINDINGS: Findings indicated that alt…
Excessive Image Concern and Willingness to Incur Personal Cost in the Experience and Perception of Vanity
Vanity has been defined traditionally as excessive pride. We propose that vanity is a negatively viewed social behavior fueled by excessive concern over one's public image, characterized by a willingness to incur personal cost because of this concern. In Study 1, autobiographical accounts of personal and witnessed vanity were contrasted with personal accounts of pride and positive self-presentation. Vanity accounts were more characterized by pers…
Gender Differences in Employment Among Drug Court Participants: The Influence of Peer Relations and Friendship Network
The research literature has identified gender differences in employment with substance-using women less likely to obtain and maintain employment when compared to men. The purpose of this study was to examine the association among gender, employment, peer relations, and friendship network among a sample of substance-using offenders in 2 drug court programs. This study examined the extent to which peer relations and friendship network helped to exp…
Kentucky Rural Stimulant Use: A Comparison of Methamphetamine and Other Stimulant Users
Population based surveys suggest that methamphetamine use is increasing. However, little is known about stimulant use in rural areas. Given the lack of data regarding rural stimulant use, particularly methamphetamine use, and the continuing problems associated with stimulant drug use, the purpose of this study was to examine rural stimulant use in Kentucky. Of 225 rural stimulant-using participants surveyed, 76% (n = 170) reported lifetime use of…
Male and female rural probationers: HIV risk behaviors and knowledge
Individuals involved in the criminal justice system are at substantial risk for HIV infection and have elevated rates of AIDS. Offenders under community supervision, such as probationers, have substantially more opportunities to engage in high-risk behaviors than prisoners. Furthermore, probationers in rural areas are at risk because rural areas may be slower to adopt HIV risk-reduction approaches. Consequently, the primary goal of this study is …
Lack of HIV Seropositivity Among a Group of Rural Probationers: Explanatory Factors
Context: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in rural America has been described as an epidemic, and the HIV prevalence rate among criminal justice populations is higher than the general population. Thus, criminally involved populations in Southern rural areas are at elevated risk for contracting HIV because of drug and sexual practices; however, little is known about HIV/AIDS in the fastest growing crimin…
Augmentation and discounting in affective reactions to upward and downward social comparisons
Two studies were conducted to investigate how the related attributes of a comparison target influence affective reactions to both upward and downward social comparisons. Participants received false feedback on an intelligence test and then were given information about an ostensible other's performance who had performed either better or worse than the participant. The age of the comparison other was manipulated such that she was younger, the same …
Gender, Mental Health, and Treatment Motivation in a Drug Court Setting
The current study examined differences in motivation for drug treatment in a sample of 500 (327 males and 173 females) drug court participants. It was hypothesized that females would report higher levels of treatment motivation, as indicated by measures of problem recognition and desire for help, and that this difference would be moderated by mental health. After controlling for selected factors related to treatment motivation, females were found…
A Descriptive Comparison of Criminality, Substance Use, and Mental Health Among Two Samples of Female Offenders
With the growing number of women involved in the criminal justice system, there is a need to examine female offenders in order to understand potential differences which might have important implications for treatment assessment and planning. The purpose of this study is to describe criminal histories, substance use, and mental health of two samples of female offenders in the community: Drug court (n = 173) and probationers (n = 160). Findings sug…
Feeling good after praise for a successful performance: The importance of social comparison information
This study examined the role of social comparisons in producing the satisfaction that often follows from praise. Participants received no praise, comparison-free praise (without explicit social comparison information), and social comparison praise (with explicit social comparison information) after successfully completing a challenging intellectual task. In addition, they either received or did not receive performance norms indicating superior re…
Treatment Motivation and Therapeutic Engagement in Prison-Based Substance Use Treatment
Studies of community-based substance use treatment show that motivation for treatment is critical for clients becoming therapeutically engaged. Little research, however, has been conducted on therapeutic engagement in corrections-based substance use treatment. The current study examines the association between internal treatment motivation and therapeutic engagement for a sample of 220 male substance-using offenders enrolled in a corrections-base…
The role of public exposure in moral and nonmoral shame and guilt
Although scholarly traditions assume that shame results more from the public exposure of a transgression or incompetence than guilt does, this distinction has little empirical support. Four studies, using either undergraduate participants' responses to hypothetical scenarios, their remembered experiences, or the coding of literary passages, reexamined this issue. Supporting traditional claims, public exposure of both moral (transgressions) and no…
The role of public exposure in moral and nonmoral shame and guilt
Although scholarly traditions assume that shame results more from the public exposure of a transgression or incompetence than guilt does, this distinction has little empirical support. Four studies, using either undergraduate participants' responses to hypothetical scenarios, their remembered experiences, or the coding of literary passages, reexamined this issue. Supporting traditional claims, public exposure of both moral (transgressions) and no…
An Exploratory Examination of Spiritual Well-Being, Religiosity, and Drug Use Among Incarcerated Men
This study examines the relationships among spirituality, religiosity, and drug use among incarcerated males. Data were collected from 661 male prison inmates from four Kentucky State Correctional facilities. Spiritual well-being was measured using a modified version of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), and religiosity was measured by worship attendance in the year prior to incarceration. In general, spirituality and religiosity were found t…
Treatment Motivation and Therapeutic Engagement in Prison-Based Substance Use Treatment
Studies of community-based substance use treatment show that motivation for treatment is critical for clients becoming therapeutically engaged. Little research, however, has been conducted on therapeutic engagement in corrections-based substance use treatment. The current study examines the association between internal treatment motivation and therapeutic engagement for a sample of 220 male substance-using offenders enrolled in a corrections-base…
A Descriptive Comparison of Criminality, Substance Use, and Mental Health Among Two Samples of Female Offenders
With the growing number of women involved in the criminal justice system, there is a need to examine female offenders in order to understand potential differences which might have important implications for treatment assessment and planning. The purpose of this study is to describe criminal histories, substance use, and mental health of two samples of female offenders in the community: Drug court (n = 173) and probationers (n = 160). Findings sug…
Feeling good after praise for a successful performance: The importance of social comparison information
This study examined the role of social comparisons in producing the satisfaction that often follows from praise. Participants received no praise, comparison-free praise (without explicit social comparison information), and social comparison praise (with explicit social comparison information) after successfully completing a challenging intellectual task. In addition, they either received or did not receive performance norms indicating superior re…
Male and female rural probationers: HIV risk behaviors and knowledge
Individuals involved in the criminal justice system are at substantial risk for HIV infection and have elevated rates of AIDS. Offenders under community supervision, such as probationers, have substantially more opportunities to engage in high-risk behaviors than prisoners. Furthermore, probationers in rural areas are at risk because rural areas may be slower to adopt HIV risk-reduction approaches. Consequently, the primary goal of this study is …
Lack of HIV Seropositivity Among a Group of Rural Probationers: Explanatory Factors
Context: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in rural America has been described as an epidemic, and the HIV prevalence rate among criminal justice populations is higher than the general population. Thus, criminally involved populations in Southern rural areas are at elevated risk for contracting HIV because of drug and sexual practices; however, little is known about HIV/AIDS in the fastest growing crimin…
Augmentation and discounting in affective reactions to upward and downward social comparisons
Two studies were conducted to investigate how the related attributes of a comparison target influence affective reactions to both upward and downward social comparisons. Participants received false feedback on an intelligence test and then were given information about an ostensible other's performance who had performed either better or worse than the participant. The age of the comparison other was manipulated such that she was younger, the same …
Gender, Mental Health, and Treatment Motivation in a Drug Court Setting
The current study examined differences in motivation for drug treatment in a sample of 500 (327 males and 173 females) drug court participants. It was hypothesized that females would report higher levels of treatment motivation, as indicated by measures of problem recognition and desire for help, and that this difference would be moderated by mental health. After controlling for selected factors related to treatment motivation, females were found…
Kentucky Rural Stimulant Use: A Comparison of Methamphetamine and Other Stimulant Users
Population based surveys suggest that methamphetamine use is increasing. However, little is known about stimulant use in rural areas. Given the lack of data regarding rural stimulant use, particularly methamphetamine use, and the continuing problems associated with stimulant drug use, the purpose of this study was to examine rural stimulant use in Kentucky. Of 225 rural stimulant-using participants surveyed, 76% (n = 170) reported lifetime use of…
Gender Differences in Employment Among Drug Court Participants: The Influence of Peer Relations and Friendship Network
The research literature has identified gender differences in employment with substance-using women less likely to obtain and maintain employment when compared to men. The purpose of this study was to examine the association among gender, employment, peer relations, and friendship network among a sample of substance-using offenders in 2 drug court programs. This study examined the extent to which peer relations and friendship network helped to exp…
METelemedicine: A Pilot Study With Rural Alcohol Users on Community Supervision
PURPOSE: This pilot study examined a telemedicine-based intervention using motivational enhancement therapy (METelemedicine) to reduce alcohol use among a sample of at-risk, rural alcohol users. METHODS: A total of 127 rural alcohol users were recruited from community supervision offices and engaged in brief intervention sessions using telemedicine. Analysis examined alcohol outcomes at 3 months postbaseline. FINDINGS: Findings indicated that alt…
Excessive Image Concern and Willingness to Incur Personal Cost in the Experience and Perception of Vanity
Vanity has been defined traditionally as excessive pride. We propose that vanity is a negatively viewed social behavior fueled by excessive concern over one's public image, characterized by a willingness to incur personal cost because of this concern. In Study 1, autobiographical accounts of personal and witnessed vanity were contrasted with personal accounts of pride and positive self-presentation. Vanity accounts were more characterized by pers…
A Facebook Follow‐Up Strategy for Rural Drug‐Using Women
PURPOSE: Facebook (FB) use has grown exponentially over the past decade, including in rural areas. Despite its popularity, FB has been underutilized as a research follow-up approach to maintain contact with research participants and may have advantages in less densely populated areas and among more hard-to-reach, at-risk groups. The overall goal of this study was to examine FB as a supplemental follow-up approach to other follow-up strategies wit…
Partner Relationships and Injection Sharing Practices among Rural Appalachian Women
HIV Prevention in Rural Appalachian Jails: Implications for Re-entry Risk Reduction Among Women Who Use Drugs
Characteristics of Prescription-Opioid-Impaired and Other Substance-Impaired Drivers in Rural Appalachian Kentucky
Previous studies have highlighted the prescription opioid epidemic in rural Appalachia and its associated risk behaviors; however, no studies have examined prescription-opioid-impaired driving as a consequence of this epidemic. The purpose of the present study was to describe prescription-opioid-impaired drivers in rural Appalachian Kentucky and examine how they are similar to and different from other substance-impaired drivers from the region. A…
Staying Out: Reentry Protective Factors Among Rural Women Offenders
The current study examines protective factors for women who transition from county jails to rural Appalachian communities, areas with limited health and behavioral health services. The study included drug-using women recruited from three jails in rural Appalachia and were followed 12-months post-release. Analyses focused on differences between women who remained in the community and those who returned to custody, as well as a multivariate model t…
Rural‐Urban Differences in Breast Reconstruction Utilization Following Oncologic Resection
BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction (BR) is the reconstructive surgical technique that focuses on restoring normal form and function to the breast following oncologic resection. The goal of this study was to determine if BR disparities exist among rural female patients in Kentucky. METHODS: A retrospective (2006-2015), population-based cohort study was conducted on breast cancer patients (stages I-III) treated with mastectomy with or without BR. We…
Community Relationship Quality and Reincarceration Following Rural Drug-Using Women’s Reentry From Jail
Interpersonal relationships and social support are important factors in women’s successful reentry from incarceration, but limited research has explored the role of women’s relationships to their communities during the reentry process. In the current study, women were recruited from three rural Appalachian jails, screened for high-risk behaviors (including drug use and unprotected sex), and interviewed at 12 months postrelease ( N = 339). Intervi…
When Driving Under the Influence Leads to Manslaughter: Perceptions of Plea Bargains
The present study examined perceptions of driving under the influence (DUI) manslaughter cases that result in plea bargains. Participants (32 women, 23 men) read a vignette describing a DUI case in which the intoxicated driver hit and killed another person and were then asked to answer questions about their perceptions of the case. We used a within-participant design and manipulated the age of the victim, the type of plea bargain, and the locatio…
Scales for participant Alliance with Recovery Coach (SPARC): Initial development and pilot test
Recovery coaches are individuals with lived experience with recovery from substance use disorder who typically engender a greater sense of trust than found with other types of healthcare providers. However, there currently are no validated tools that measure the connection between recovery coaches and their participants. The purpose of this study was to describe the initial development of the Scales for Participant Alliance with Recovery Coach (S…
Overdose Experiences Among a Sample of Women in Jail with Opioid Use Disorder
Background: Previous non-fatal overdose may increase risk of overdose fatality for women reentering the community following incarceration, but pre-incarceration overdose experiences are understudied. This study describes the prevalence and correlates of non-fatal overdose prior to jail among women with opioid use disorder (OUD). Methods: Women (N = 700) were randomly selected from eight Kentucky jails, screened for OUD, and interviewed as part of…
Protective Factors Associated With Lower Likelihood of Injection Drug Use and Experiencing Overdose Among Incarcerated Women
Overdose education and naloxone distribution among women with a history of OUD transitioning to the community following jail release
BACKGROUND: The criminal legal system (CLS) provides a critical intervention point for women at high risk for overdose, and the need continues to rise as the number of incarcerated women increases. Effective, targeted prevention interventions to reduce overdose risk for CLS-involved women are needed, such as naloxone distribution. This study describes the overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) procedures used in the Kentucky-hub of t…
Psychology (20 works) · Medicine (18 works) · Psychiatry (15 works) · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes (10 works) · Clinical Psychology (9 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Environmental health (8 works) · Opioid Use Disorder Treatment (8 works) · Demography (7 works) · Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects (7 works)