Gender Differences in the Relationship between Social Support and Stressors on Post-release Drug Use

• In Event: Gender & the Shaping of the Reentry Process

Abstract

This study uses the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) data to examine the gender effects of social support and stressors among a high-risk sample of ex-prisoners on post-release drug use. Recidivism is a common topic in correctional literature, but few studies focus on drug use post-release and even fewer focus on the differences in drug use between men and women. Men and women tend to experience different stressors upon release as well as varying degrees and types of social support. This differentially affects post-release behavior such as drug use. With substance abuse at the forefront of policy discussions both locally and nationally, these pathways and relationships merit further exploration.

Authors

• Amber Griffin, Sam Houston State University

• Melinda Tasca, Sam Houston State University

• Erin Orrick, Sam Houston State University