Patterns of Childhood Adversities and Their Associations With Adult Victimization Among Incarcerated Men and Women in Spanish Prisons

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are prevalent and have long lasting effects. There is evidence of gender differences in exposure to different types of ACEs, with women experiencing higher levels of sexual abuse and cumulative adversity than men. Despite this, most research examining patterns of adversities have used joint samples, assuming that men and women have comparable profiles. The current study examines if distinct profiles of childhood adversities exist for men and women and analyzes their associations with multiple forms of interpersonal victimization during adulthood. Participants were 2,709 residents (91.6% men and 8.4% women) from eight prisons in Spain, who completed a self-administered survey. Latent Class Analysis revealed different patterns of childhood adversities for men and women. For both groups, higher adversity was associated with interpersonal harm during adulthood.

A Scoping Review on Adverse Childhood Experiences Studies Using Latent Class Analysis: Strengths and Challenges

“…These study outcomes include unmet care coordination needs (Anyigbo et al, 2021), prenatal social networks (Napier et al, 2023), school performance (Merians et al, 2019;Stempel et al, 2017), cognitive functioning (Yuan et al, 2022), resilience/ flourishing (S. S. Chen, He, et al, 2022;L. Wang, Yu, et al, 2022), victimization and perpetration of IPV/violent behavior (Aizpurua et al, 2023;Burke et al, 2022;Lee et al, 2021;Miedema et al, 2023;Zietz et al, 2020), and offspring's socio-emotional functioning (Stargel & Easterbrooks, 2020).…”

“…Other non-maltreatment family adversities were expanded such as (a) parental/guardian death (studies based on NSCH; studies using ACE-IQ; Aizpurua et al, 2023;Hemady et al, 2022;Lacey, Pinto Pereira, et al, 2020;Lacey et al, 2022;MacLochlainn et al, 2022;Miedema et al, 2023;Smith et al 2023;G. F. Wang, Yuan, et al, 2022;Xiao et al, 2023;Yu et al, 2022;Yuan et al, 2022 also added sibling death; Zhang et al, 2020;Zietz et al, 2020); (b) disadvantaged household socioeconomic status such as poverty/material hardship/financial struggles (studies based on FFCWS, NSCH; S. S. Chen, He, et al, 2022;Heidinger & Willson, 2022;Kim, Lee, et al, 2020;Yu et al, 2022), parents' unemployment (Heidinger & Willson, 2022;Zhang et al, 2020), and low maternal education (Zhang & Monnat, 2022); (c) illness/ disability/accident experienced by a family member (S. S. Chen, He, et al, 2022;MacLochlainn et al, 2022;G.…”

Violence Against Incarcerated Women: Predicting Risk Through the Lens of Childhood Harm

“…A few studies have explored the role of vulnerability as identified by von Hentig (1948), particularly mental illness and symptoms of psychological distress (Blitz et al, 2008;Caravaca-Sánchez & Wolff, 2016;Wolff et al, 2009;Wood, 2013;Wood & Buttaro, 2013). Research on the etiological transmission of harm over the life cycle has been pverlooked, with a few exceptions (Aizpurua et al, 2021;Caravaca-Sánchez & Wolff, 2016;Wolff et al, 2007). Moreover, these studies have traditionally been insensitive to well-known gender-based differences in victimization (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000).…”

“…Only four published studies have estimated the risk factors associated with violence against incarcerated women without the inclusion of incarcerated men (Aizpurua et al, 2021; Caravaca-Sánchez & Wolff, 2016; Lahm, 2015; Wolff et al, 2007). The study by Lahm (2015), using data from a single women's prison, predicted four types of victimization—physical, sexual, property, and verbal—using traditional importation and deprivation covariates.…”

“…The study by Aizpurua et al (2021) advanced this literature by using a person-centered approach to capture the interdependence among types of childhood harm exposure. A latent class analysis (LCA) identifies clustering (or “classes”) among types of harm, and these classes of harm can then be used to predict outcomes, such as victimization.…”