Abstract
BackgroundPrisoners are a vulnerable population with higher rates of trauma than community populations. Social support is important for both in–prison adjustment and post-release community re-entry. Loneliness, a related construct to social support, has been found to be associated with elevated rates of suicidal ideation and behavior, depression, and hopelessness in incarcerated populations.MethodsThis study explored the relationship of past physical, sexual, and crime-related trauma to current perceived social support and loneliness in a mixed-gender sample of 235 depressed prisoners enrolled in depression treatment studies.ResultsHistory of any trauma, regardless of type, as well as physical, sexual, and crime-related traumas were associated with lower current perceived social support scores (controlling for gender). Past sexual trauma and crime-related trauma were associated with higher levels of loneliness (controlling for gender), though history of any trauma and physical trauma was not.ConclusionFindings suggest that both overall trauma and specific types of trauma are linked to perceived social support and loneliness among incarcerated persons with major depressive disorder. This is the first study, to the authors’ knowledge, that specifically observed a relationship between past trauma and current social support and loneliness in prison populations. Many intervention programs for prisoners encourage them to develop non-criminogenic and substance-free social networks. These programs should be aware that individuals who have experienced interpersonal trauma may have additional interpersonal challenges, and may need strategies to address interpersonal deficits related to trauma exposure.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2194-7899-2-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Prisoners are a vulnerable population with higher rates of trauma than community populations
This study examines past interpersonal trauma in relation to current perceived social support and to loneliness in a convenience sample of male and female prisoners (97% of whom reported problematic substance use) with a major depressive disorder who volunteered for a depression treatment research study
Our study highlights the pervasive nature of trauma in the lives of prisoners, and suggests that interpersonal trauma exposure, sexual and crime-related trauma, influence current social support and loneliness among incarcerated individuals
Summary
Prisoners are a vulnerable population with higher rates of trauma than community populations. L. Green et al.2005) to 94% (Browne et al 1999) in women and from 54.3% (Carlson et al 2010) to 95% (Komarovskaya et al 2011) in men In both the general population and in prisoners, a trauma history has been associated with a range of difficulties such as depression, personality disorders, PTSD, substance abuse, anxiety, and suicide risk (Blaauw et al 2002; Esposito and Clum 2002; Mullings et al 2004; Nishith et al 2000; Wise et al 2001; Zweig et al 2012). Since trauma exposure is very common among incarcerated populations and leads to a wide range of negative outcomes, it is important to further explore and understand the potential effects of past trauma on these populations
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