title: Childhood maltreatment and cluster B personality pathology in female serious offenders.
abstract: The authors examined early maltreatment among serious female offenders at a maximum-security correctional facility, contrasting the maltreatment histories of inmates with and without Cluster B personality pathology. Women were interviewed regarding the frequency of 13 indicators of psychological or physical abuse perpetrated by maternal or paternal caregivers and the frequency of 10 types of sexual abuse perpetrated by persons at least 5 years older. Reports were based on inmates' recollected worst years of maltreatment before age 16. Women in both diagnostic groups reported substantial early maltreatment. Cluster B inmates reported higher levels and a greater variety of maternal and paternal physical and psychological abuse but were not distinguished from non-Cluster B inmates on levels of childhood sexual abuse. Inmates reported more physical and psychological abuse from maternal than paternal caregivers. The results document the high levels of childhood maltreatment of female prisoners and the relevance of this history to personality pathology.
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA. abl2x@virginia.edu
authors.forename: Ann Booker
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Loper
authors.forename: Negar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mahmoodzadegan
authors.forename: Janet I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Warren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health