Dissertation
The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and criminal convictions in female offenders: is substance use a mediator or moderator?
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Dec 2006
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-1304
Abstract
Objective: While posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) are the most prevalent psychiatric conditions among female offenders, little is known about the interaction of these disorders or their role in the criminal behavior patterns of women. Moreover, in spite of the growing demand for services to address the needs of incarcerated women, particularly those with PTSD, SUDs, or both, resources for treatment remain sparse. The purpose of this study was to examine the comorbid interaction of PTSD and SUDs and their relationship to the frequency and severity of criminal behavior in women offenders. This study, which was based on the self-medication hypothesis, examined the mediating and moderating role of SUD symptom severity in the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and the frequency and severity of convictions for offenses. Method: Criminal records were used to determine the frequency and severity of crime and self-report measures were used to assess PTSD symptom severity, SUD symptom severity, and overall psychological distress. Fifty-five female offenders from a county prison in Southeastern Pennsylvania participated in the study. Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the mediating and moderating role of SUD symptom severity. Results: Although significant correlations were found among all the variables, SUD symptom severity did not serve as a mediator or moderator of the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and criminal behavior as measured by the frequency and severity of convictions for offenses. However, these results should be interpreted in light of the study's limitations, which include the small sample size and the method by which the frequency and severity of criminal behavior was measured.
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Details
- Title
- The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and criminal convictions in female offenders
- Creators
- Jennifer Margaret Whitehouse-Yarnell - DU
- Contributors
- Richard E. Redding (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 1304; 991014632937904721