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

Keywords

anxiety; depression; female inmates; locus of control; social support; trauma

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. © The Author(s) 2012.

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Publication Title

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

Volume

58

Issue

1

Number of Pages

59-84

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X12461477

Socpus ID

84888328608 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84888328608

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