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UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs

Researchers' Profiles

Nena P. Messina, Ph.D.

Nena P. Messina, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Nena P. Messina, Ph.D., is a Criminologist at UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs and has been involved in substance use research for over 20 years. Dr. Messina's areas of expertise include the specialized treatment needs of drug-dependent women offenders and the association between crime, mental health, and substance use. Dr. Messina was appointed as a Special Consultant to act as a Governor's Rehabilitation Strike Team Member to create a strategic plan to reform the California prison system in response to Legislative bill AB 900 - The Public Safety & Offender Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007. Dr. Messina has also focused her efforts toward identifying the long-term outcomes of drug-exposed children and children with incarcerated parents. Dr. Messina has a successful history as the Principal Investigator of several NIDA-funded grants and California state contracts assessing the effectiveness of trauma-informed and gender-responsive treatment for incarcerated men and women. Recently, Dr. Messina was awarded a large grant from the California Endowment to determine the impact of the ACA on offenders overall health and well-being upon release from jail. Dr. Messina has collaborated on numerous publications on the psychosocial correlates of substance use treatment outcomes and has contributed a great deal to the understanding of co-occurring disorders, trauma and abuse, and treatment responsivity for special populations. Dr. Messina has been at the forefront of innovative research determining the programs, policies, and services needed to rebuild the lives of criminal justice involved men and women.

  • California State University, Northridge, CA, B.A., Psychology, 1993
  • University of Maryland, College Park, MD, M.A., Criminology, 1996
  • University of Maryland, College Park, MD, Ph.D., Criminology, 2000
  • Drug-dependent women offenders
  • Trauma and Abuse
  • Drug Endangered Children
  • Comorbidity (Antisocial Personality Disorder)
  1. Messina, N., Farabee, D., & Rawson, R. (2003). Treatment responsivity of cocaine-dependent patients with antisocial personality disorder to cognitive behavioral and contingency management interventions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(2), 320-329. (PMID: 12699026)
  2. Messina, N., Burdon, W., Hagopian, G., & Prendergast, M. (2004). One year return to custody rates among co-disordered offenders.  Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 22, 503-518. (PMID: 15282837)
  3. Burdon, W., Messina, N., & Prendergast, M. (2004). The California treatment expansion initiative: Participant characteristics, aftercare participation, recidivism, and predictors of outcome. The Prison Journal, 84(1), 61-80.
  4. Messina, N., Burdon, W., & Prendergast, M. (2006). Prison-based treatment for drug-dependent women offenders: treatment versus no treatment. The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 3, 333-343. (PMID: 17357525)
  5. Messina, N., & Grella, C. (2006). Childhood trauma and women’s health: A California prison population. American Journal of Public Health, 96(10), 1842-1848. (PMID: 17008581) (PMCID: PMC1586137)
  6. Messina, N., Burdon, W., Hagopian, G., & Prendergast, M. (2006). Predictors of prison TC treatment outcomes: A comparison of men and women participants. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 32(1), 7-28. (PMID: 16450640)
  7. Messina, N., Grella, C., Burdon, W., & Prendergast, M. (2007). Childhood adverse events and current traumatic distress: A comparison of men and women prisoners. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(11), 1385-1401.
  8. Messina, N., Marinelli-Casey, P., Hillhouse, M., Hunter, J., & Rawson, R. (2008). Childhood adverse events and health outcomes among methamphetamine dependent men and women. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
  9. Messina, N., Marinelli-Casey, P., West, K., & Rawson, R. (2008). Children exposed to methamphetamine use and manufacture. International Journal on Child Abuse & Neglect. (PMID: 17383002)
  10. Messina, N., Marinelli-Casey, P., Hillhouse, M., Rawson, R., Hunter, J., & Ang, A. (2008). Childhood adverse events and onset and severity of methamphetamine dependence among men and women. The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 3, 399-409. (PMID: 19248397)
  11. Messina, N. (2009). Implications for Criminal Justice Involved Women with Co-Occurring Substance Abuse, and Mental and Physical Health Problems. White Paper prepared for the Co-Occurring Joint Action Council (COJAC), the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP), and Department of Mental Health (DMH). 
  12. Messina, N. & Chand, N. (2009). Exemplary Programs for Women Offenders with Co-Occurring Disorders: Key Recommendations for Implementation and Replication. White Paper prepared for the Co-Occurring Joint Action Council (COJAC), the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP), and Department of Mental Health (DMH).  http://www.aodpolicy.org/COD.htm
  13. Messina, N., Grella, C., Cartier, J., & Torres, S. (2010). A randomized experimental study of gender responsive substance abuse treatment for women in prison. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 38(2), 97-107. (PMCID 200115605)
  14. Prendergast, M., Messina, N., Hall, N., & Warda, N. (2011). The Relative Effectiveness of Women-Only vs. Mixed-Gender Substance Abuse Treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 40(4), 336-348. NIHMS 264149
  15. Messina, N. & Jeter, K. Parental methamphetamine use and manufacture: Child and familial outcomes (2012). Journal of Public Child Welfare, 6(3).
  16. Messina, N., Grella, C., Cartier, J., & Torres, S. (2010). A randomized experimental study of gender responsive substance abuse treatment for women in prison. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 38(2), 97-107. (PMCID: PMC2815183 NIHMSID: NIHMS150352).
  17. Messina, N., & Jeter, K. (2012). Parental methamphetamine use and manufacture: Child and familial outcomes. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 6(3), 1-17. ((NIHMS #388684)
  18. Messina, N., Calhoun, S., & Warda, N. (2012). Enhanced drug court treatment for women offenders: A randomized experiment. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(12), 1536-1555. (NIHMS574371)
  19. Messina, N., Calhoun, S., & Braithwaite, J. (2014). Trauma-informed treatment decreases posttraumatic stress disorder among women offenders. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 15(1), 6-23. DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2013.818609. PMID: 24377969 PMCID: PMC3877926 NIHMSID # 509767