Childhood Trauma and Women's Health Outcomes in a California Prison Population

• NCJ Number: 216728
• Journal: American Journal of Public Health Volume: 96 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 1842-1848
• Author(s): Nena Messina PH.D.; Christine Grella Ph.D.
• Date Published: October 2006
• Length: 7 pages
• Grant Number(s): PO1 DA01070-30; C03.052
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse; California Dept of Corrections
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Free online PDF and HTML access to the American Journal of Public Health is provided by the publisher 24 months after individual issues are released.

Annotation

This study examined the relationship between childhood traumatic events and adult physical and mental health problems among a sample of incarcerated women in a substance abuse treatment program.

Abstract

Results indicated that childhood traumatic events have a significant and cumulative effect on health outcomes among incarcerated women seeking treatment for substance abuse. Specifically, greater exposure to childhood traumatic events increased the likelihood of a variety health-related outcomes ranging from a 15 percent increase in the likelihood of reporting fair to poor health to a 40 percent increase in the likelihood of seeking mental health treatment during adulthood. The largest impact of exposure to childhood traumatic events was observed for the 5 mental health variables under examination: taking psychotropic medication, having received mental health treatment, having a positive Global Severity Index score (assesses traumatic and psychological distress), and having a positive Trauma Symptom Checklist score (assesses traumatic and psychological distress). The findings thus indicate that the physical and mental health problems of women offenders may have their roots in childhood events, suggesting the need for early prevention and intervention programming for girls, such as nurse home-visits for at-risk mothers and children. Baseline data were gathered from the Female Offender Treatment and Employment Program (FOTEP) evaluation, which used a convenience sample of 500 female offenders eligible for the program from 5 California prisons. Interviews were conducted in prison prior to release and included measures for childhood traumatic events, childhood emotional abuse or neglect, childhood family dysfunction, and 18 self-reported health problems or health-related behaviors. Bivariate analyses and logistic regression models were used to examine the impact of childhood traumatic events on the mental and physical health outcomes of the female offenders. Future studies should attempt to validate self-reported health outcomes with official health data and should strive to include larger and more heterogeneous samples. Tables, references