Citation

van WB, Steyn F. Child Abuse Res. South Afr. 2022; 23(1): 34-40.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, South African Professional Society on the Abuse of Children)

DOI

10.10520/ejc-carsa_v23_n1_a4

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Child abuse has deleterious outcomes for survivors, and gendered theories of crime argue that the resulting trauma could play a role in women's adult criminal behaviour. This survey among 85 imprisoned women shows that half of the respondents witnessed physical abuse in their households while growing up, half directly experienced physical abuse, and a quarter were victims of sexual abuse when they were minors. For the majority of respondents, both physical and sexual abuse started before they turned eleven years of age, which appears younger when compared to general population samples. Correlation analyses demonstrate a positive association between incarcerated women having witnessed violence and their experiences of physical and sexual abuse, which confirms international experiences in South African settings. Appropriate mental health services are needed in correctional facilities to address the childhood experiences of abuse among imprisoned women.

Language: en

Keywords

correlation analysis; imprisoned women; physical abuse; sexual abuse; witnessing violence