| Incarcerated women report high levels of interpersonal trauma exposure. Many
incarcerated women also exhibit psychological distress in the forms of posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), substance use problems, and depression. Notably, difficulties with mental
health have also been associated with difficulties with emotion regulation and lack of access to
resources. Thus, this study aims to examine the ways in which interpersonal trauma exposure and
material hardship, in the forms of food and housing insecurity, relate to reoffending behaviors in
women, via two potential mechanisms. First is the indirect effect of interpersonal trauma and
material hardship on reoffending through psychological distress. Second, the role of emotion
regulation in the association between interpersonal trauma and psychological distress was
investigated. Interview data was collected from 174 women from two northwestern jails,
followed by an evaluation of recidivism ten to fourteen months later. Data was analyzed using
Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). While interpersonal trauma exposure and material
hardship were not predictive of recidivism, drug use problems emerged as a significant predictor.
Additionally, emotion regulation mediated the relation between interpersonal trauma and
psychological distress. These findings highlight the need for substance use treatment and
increased emotion regulation skills for incarcerated women. The insignificant results in the study
emphasize the need for continued research on pathways to recidivism for women, given the
dearth of research in this area, and unexplained pathways for reoffending in particular.
Key words: incarcerated women, recidivism, interpersonal trauma, drug use, material hardship |