Title

Perceived Stress, External Locus of Control, and Social Support as Predictors of Psychological Adjustment Among Female Inmates With or Without a History of Sexual Abuse

Authors

Authors

K. Asberg;K. Renk

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Int. J. Offender Ther. Comp. Criminol.

Keywords

female inmates; locus of control; social support; depression; anxiety; trauma; HIERARCHICAL LINEAR-MODELS; BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY; PRISON-INMATES; INCARCERATED WOMEN; GENDER-DIFFERENCES; JAIL INMATES; SELF-ESTEEM; PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES; MULTIPLE-REGRESSION; DECISION-MAKING; Criminology & Penology; Psychology, Applied

Abstract

Given the growing number of women who are incarcerated across the United States, the current study investigated the relationships among female inmates' perceptions of their own stress, external locus of control (LOC), social support adequacy, and various aspects of psychological functioning. Generally, female inmates with a self-reported history of childhood sexual abuse did not differ from their nonabused counterparts on the variables of interest. Results suggested that female inmates' perceptions of higher stress, a higher degree of external LOC, and inadequate social support correlated with greater symptoms of depression and hopelessness as well as lower self-esteem. In regression analyses, stress and social support were significant predictors for depression and anxiety. In contrast, stress was the only significant predictor of hopelessness and self-esteem. Finally, none of the predictors examined here was significant in the prediction of traumatic stress. Overall, findings suggested the importance of stress and social support in the prediction of female inmates' adjustment, specifically their symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Journal Title

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

Volume

58

Issue/Number

1

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Document Type

Review

Language

English

First Page

59

Last Page

84

WOS Identifier

WOS:000327148700005

ISSN

0306-624X

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