Relationships Among Trauma Exposure, Familial Characteristics, and PTSD: A Case-Control Study of Women in Prison and in the General Population

• NCJ Number: 242929
• Journal: Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: January - March 2013 Pages: 63-79
• Author(s): Christine E. Grella; Katherine Lovinger; Umme S. Warda
• Date Published: January 2013
• Length: 17 pages
• Contract Number(s): C08.106
• Sponsoring Agency: California Dept of Corrections and Rehabilitation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study compared the prevalence of trauma exposure among sample of incarcerated women and a comparable sample of women in the general population.

Abstract

This study examines whether there are differential relationships among trauma exposure, familial risk and protective factors, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among incarcerated and non-incarcerated women. A case-control method was used to match 100 incarcerated women with 100 women in the general population. Incarcerated women had a significantly higher risk of trauma exposure as compared with controls, with odds ranging from 1.7 to 3.7. When group was controlled, exposure to sexual or physical trauma significantly increased the odds of PTSD (odds ratio = 5.0; p less than .05), as did substance use in response to traumatic distress (odds ratio = 8.9; p less than .001). Family-related characteristics did not appear to moderate this relationship. The findings suggest that incarcerated women are at high risk for PTSD given their high rates of trauma exposure and apparent lack of appropriate coping mechanisms; the results support the use of trauma-specific interventions for this population. Abstract published by arrangement with Taylor and Francis.