| Incarcerated women report sexual violence victimization at significantly higher rates than
incarcerated men and non-incarcerated women. Sexual violence is associated with a range of
negative outcomes, including suicidal behavior and substance misuse. Incarcerated women
report more suicide attempts than incarcerated males and are nine times more likely to die by
suicide compared to non-incarcerated women. Additionally, their lifetime prevalence of
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is 2.4 to 2.8 times higher than that of the general population. It is
important to identify factors that can help decrease these negative outcomes. One possible
mechanism, trauma-coping self-efficacy (TCSE), refers to one's belief in their ability to recover
from trauma and may help address negative outcomes related to sexual violence exposure.
While research has shown a negative association between sexual violence and TCSE in women
in the general population, studies examining the relations between sexual violence, TCSE,
suicidal ideation, and SUD are lacking in incarcerated women. Secondary analyses were
conducted using data from 180 women inmates to examine the indirect effect of TCSE on the
associations between sexual violence and suicidal behavior, as well as sexual violence and
substance use disorder. The indirect effect of TCSE was insignificant, but there was a
significant association between TCSE and SUD severity. Additionally, a history of sexual
violence predicted suicide-related behavior but not substance use severity. These results,
coupled with the high rates of sexual violence, SUD, and suicide-related behaviors within this
sample, suggest the importance of assessment and targeted empirically supported interventions
for this population.
Keywords: sexual violence, trauma coping self-efficacy (TCSE), substance use, suicide,
incarcerated women |