Examining the Relationship Between Childhood Victimization, High-Risk Behaviors, and Health Among Criminal Justice-Involved Women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a conceptual model of the pathways through which childhood victimization influences adult health outcomes. Specifically, measures of high-risk behaviors, tobacco use, alcohol use, illegal substance use, and HIV risk behaviors were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between childhood victimization and adult physical health. The sample consisted of 406 women on probation and parole with a history of childhood victimization in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationship between childhood victimization, high-risk behaviors, and physical health outcomes. The findings indicate partial mediation, with health risk behaviors accounting for 12.5% of the variance in the relationship between childhood victimization and health outcomes. Implications for policy and treatment practice in the health and criminal justice arena are discussed.

Female Prisoners, Mental Health, and Contact with Family and Friends

“…For example, Covington (2007), Salina et al (2017), and Scott et al (2016) confirmed that criminal justice-involved women tend to have a history of trauma and victimization that in many cases can be traced back to childhood. Specifically, studies indicate that many female incarcerees have extensive histories of rape, child sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, witnessing violence as a child, and interpersonal violent victimization (Lynch et al, 2017; Renn et al, 2017). For instance, Cabeldue et al's study (2019) determined that nearly 74% of women experienced some form of child abuse, 80% experienced adult abuse, and nearly 88% experienced abuse during their lifetime.…”

Pathways to Recidivism for Women Released From Prison: A Mediated Model of Abuse, Mental Health Issues, and Substance Use

“…Between 65% and 75% of incarcerated women report having experienced some form of interpersonal childhood trauma (Carlson, Shafer, & Duffee, 2010; Cook, Smith, Tusher, & Raiford, 2005; Kennedy, Tripodi, Pettus-Davis, & Ayers, 2016). Specifically, more than 57% of incarcerated women report having experienced childhood physical abuse (CPA), approximately 55% of women report childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and roughly three quarters of women report experiences of childhood emotional abuse (CEA; Cook et al, 2005; Renn et al, 2017). While rates of lifetime traumatic experiences are similar for incarcerated men and women, incarcerated women report higher rates of childhood victimization compared with their male counterparts, and they have significantly higher rates of lifetime traumatic experiences than nonincarcerated women.…”

Women on the Institutional Circuit: A 9-Year Qualitative Study

“…Incarcerated women are more likely to suffer from a range of physical and mental health problems than men or nonincarcerated women (Harner & Riley, 2013). The consensus seems to be that this is in some way linked to the higher rates of trauma experienced by women involved with the criminal justice system (Chesney-Lind & Pasko, 2004; McDaniels-Wilson & Belknap, 2008; Renn, Golder, Higgins, Logan, & Winham, 2017). Research indicates that girls and women who have experienced sexual assaults continue to make greater use of health care services throughout their entire lives (Trickett, Noll, & Putnam, 2011).…”