Examination of the Prevalence of CPTSD in Justice Involved Women with Multiple Adverse Life Events

• In Event: Understanding the Needs of Justice Involved Women and the Service Providers Who Support Them

Abstract

Findings from the preliminary analysis of a Women's Risk-Needs Assessment validation in England showed a high prevalence of complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (cPTSD) and repeated trauma. cPTSD characterised by PTSD symptoms alongside disturbances in self-organisation (DSO), was measured by the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) which was distributed, alongside the WRNA, to a subset of the original validation sample (N=94, mean age=36, SD=11). Results showed a high prevalence of physical and sexual abuse in adulthood (73%), and childhood (65%), periods of homelessness (62%), exposure to violence at home (73%), suicide attempts (73%) and poverty (78%), amongst those meeting cPTSD criteria. The ITQ indicated that 83% of participants met the criteria for cPTSD, and a further 10% for PTSD. The prevalence of cPTSD is significantly higher in those who have experienced homelessness (Χ2 =6.1, p=.01 and who are currently experiencing violence at home (Χ2 = 5.8, p=.02). We, therefore, make the case that a significant proportion of women accessing support services suffer from cPTSD, requiring specialist trauma-informed care and treatment suitable to complex trauma, and provide commentary on the definition of trauma in the context of multiple adverse life events, despite narrow inclusion criteria provided in the DSM-V and ICD-11.

Author

• Denise Ruprai, University of Birmingham