Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Mar;8(1):23-9.
doi: 10.1111/j.1939-3938.2011.01127.x. Epub 2012 Jan 6.

Temperament, insecure attachment, impulsivity, and sexuality in women in jail

Paolo Iliceto  1 , Maurizio Pompili, Gabriella Candilera, Iole Rosafio, Denise Erbuto, Michele Battuello, David Lester, Paolo Girardi
Affiliations

Temperament, insecure attachment, impulsivity, and sexuality in women in jail

Paolo Iliceto et al. J Forensic Nurs. 2012 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Women constitute only a small proportion of inmates, but several studies have shown that they have higher rates of psychiatric disturbance than incarcerated men and community samples. Mental health treatment is necessary to prevent severe illness and suicide in these women.

Methods: The convenience sample consisted of 40 female detainees and 40 controls who were administered self-report questionnaires to assess temperament (TEMPS-A), insecure attachment (ECR), impulsivity (BIS-11), and sexual behavior (SESAMO).

Results: The incarcerated women had higher levels of affective temperament (except for hyperthymia), avoidance, anxiety, impulsivity, and psychosexual issues than the female community sample.

Conclusions: Many interrelated emotional and affective disturbances affect the physical and psychological well-being of women in jail, and it is possible that these problems may lead to suicide. Health professionals need to develop gender-specific therapeutic interventions for women in jail.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources