Correlates of post-traumatic stress among victimized women on probation and parole
| Author | Tanya Renn,Seana Golder,Carrie Pettus-Davis,Tonya Edmond,TK Logan,George E. Higgins,Stephanie Grace Prost |
| Published date | 01 March 2022 |
| Date | 01 March 2022 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/02645505211032171 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Correlates of
post-traumatic stress
among victimized
women on probation
and parole
Stephanie Grace Prost ,
Seana Golder, and George
E. Higgins
University of Louisville, USA
Carrie Pettus-Davis and Tanya Renn
Florida State University, USA
Tonya Edmond
Washington University, USA
TK Logan
University of Kentucky, USA
Abstract
The current study aimed to identify the correlates of post-traumatic stress among a
sample of women on probation and parole with a history of victimization.
Community-based sampling was used to recruit 406 women on probation and parole
in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The post-traumatic stress diagnostic scale was used to
measure three indicators of post-traumatic stress: post-traumatic stress disorder diag-
nosis, symptom severity, and the number of life domains impacted by symptoms.
Shaped by the comprehensive health seeking and coping paradigm, logistic and
ordinary least squares regression analyses were used to examine the relationships
Corresponding Author:
Stephanie Grace Prost, Julius John Oppenheimer Hall Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work, 2217 S 3rd
St, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
Email: stephanie.prost@louisville.edu
Article The Journal of Communit
y
and Criminal Justice
Probation Journal
2022, Vol. 69(1) 45–65
© The Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/02645505211032171
journals.sagepub.com/home/prb
between sociodemographic factors, criminal justice involvement, cumulative victimi-
zation, substance use, social support, material loss, homelessness, and post-traumatic
stress. Models identifying correlates of post-traumatic stress accounted for between
18.6% and 26% of the variance and point to critical opportunities for intervention sur-
rounding the dynamic factors of recent intimate partner violence and material loss.
Targeting these important factors during community supervision is anticipated to
decrease post-traumatic stress and increase the likelihood of success under criminal
justice system supervision.
Keywords
women, post-traumatic stress, probation, parole, victimization
The community corrections population represents nearly 70% of all persons under
correctional control in the United States (US; probation: 58.5%, parole: 11.3%;
Kaeble and Cowhig, 2018). The community supervision rate for adults (age 18
or older) in the Commonwealth of Kentucky is higher than the national rate (1860
vs. 1810 per 100,000 US residents; Kaeble and Cowhig, 2018). Over 80% of
women who are under correctional control are in the community either on probation
(73%) or parole (9%) (Jones, 2018). And as women are more likely to be under com-
munity supervision than to be incarcerated (Jones, 2018)—understanding factors
related to the success of women on probation and parole is of particular relevance
to both practitioners (viz. supervising officers) and scholars.
Successful navigation of community sanctions among women on probation and
parole is contingent upon many considerations, perhaps none of greater importance
than the role of victimization. Justice-involved women experience disproportionate
levels of violent victimization across the lifespan than both their male peers and
their free female counterparts. Between 60% and 99% of women in the criminal
justice system report some form of physical, sexual, and/or psychological victimiza-
tion in their lives (McDaniels-Wilson and Belknap, 2008). Victimization, particularly
childhood victimization, intimate partner violence (IPV), and rape are highly asso-
ciated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Kendall-Tackett, 2013; Logan
et al., 2006; MacMillan et al., 2001; Norman et al., 2012). And cumulative victimi-
zation (multiple incidents of childhood or adult victimization) is associated with higher
rates of PTSD (Astin et al., 1995; Dutton et al., 2006; Messman-Moore et al., 2000;
Schaaf and McCanne, 1998). Thus, as the prevalenceof lifespan victimization is high
among justice-involved women, so too, is PTSD. Rates of current PTSD among
justice-involved women range from 29% to 48.2% and between 20% and 53% for
lifetime diagnosis (DeHart et al., 2013; Harner et al., 2015; Lynch et al., 2012).
A large body of epidemiological and clinical research also indicates that PTSD
and substance use co-occur regularly. This is true more generally and among
women, specifically. Rates of lifetime PTSD and substance use among women range
from 36.1% to 56.2% (Bassuk et al., 1998; Cottler et al., 2001; Dansky et al., 1995;
Reynolds et al., 2005). Thus, it is no surprise that substance use is epidemic
among women with criminal justice system involvement. In a study of women
46 Probation Journal 69(1)
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