Incarcerated Women in Spain: The Salience of Traumatic Exposure.

Incarcerated women are at high risk of exposure to traumatic events with subsequent development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study builds on prior research by adding new findings from Spain on the association between childhood and prison victimization, and negative emotional states with PTSD symptoms during incarceration among women. The study sample (N = 174) included female prison inmates enrolled from two prisons located in Southeast Spain. Participants completed self-report questionnaires including demographic and criminal variables, childhood and prison victimization (including emotional, physical and sexual victimization), negative emotional states (including depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms) and PTSD symptoms. Logistic regression analysis revealed that women screening positive for trauma had significantly greater odds for the assortment of childhood victimization, prison victimization (specifically physical victimization) and depression, anxiety, and stress. Current findings suggest a need to include these construct assessments in the screening and identification of PTSD among incarcerated women in Spain.

Direct and Indirect Associations Between Loneliness and Thoughts of Self-Harm Among a Clinical Sample of Older Adults With Serious Mental Illness.

This cross-sectional study examines the relationships of loneliness and depressive symptoms to thoughts of self-harm among a clinical sample (n = 150) of older adults (M = 58.42 years, SD = 5.86 years; male, 55.3%; African American, 61.3%) with serious mental illness (SMI) receiving publicly funded, community-based psychiatric rehabilitation services. Participants completed the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Patient Health Questionnaire 9, and Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form. Mediation analyses tested the association of loneliness with thoughts of self-harm through depressive symptoms and were adjusted for social support and demographic variables. The direct association of loneliness with thoughts of self-harm was mediated by depressive symptoms; indirect associations of overall and emotional loneliness to thoughts of self-harm were significant. Findings suggest the need for clinicians to reduce feelings of loneliness among older adults with SMI as a means of partially ameliorating depressive symptoms and thoughts of self-harm.

Female Prisoners in Spain: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Negative Emotional States, and Social Support.

A growing body of literature on correctional populations from the past two decades indicates that a significant proportion of prison inmates report experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) during childhood. Extant literature also suggests that women suffer disproportionate victimization at all life stages. The current study examines the prevalence and magnitude of the associations between ACEs, social support, and negative emotional states (that is, anxiety, depression, and stress) among a sample of incarcerated women-a small but growing correctional population. Data were obtained from a survey of women incarcerated in two prisons in Spain (N = 174); survey questions elicited information on these women's emotional, physical, and sexual victimization during childhood in addition to their self-reported levels of social support and mental health. A series of analyses indicated that female inmates who reported ACEs similarly reported lower levels of social support and higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress as compared with nonvictimized women inmates. The findings reported here underscore the importance of attaining a fuller understanding of female inmates' histories of ACEs so that we can more accurately identify and, ideally, provide necessary services to those women at highest risk of mental health-related problems during incarceration.

Competence-Based Curriculum Development in Nursing Education: A Story From the Western Balkans.

This article describes the process of competence-based curriculum development in nursing education at Western Balkan (WB) universities. Nursing education in the WB has been noncompliant with the standard educational approaches of the European Union's directive on regulated professions. The overall aim of the TEMPUS project "Competency-Based Curriculum Reform in Nursing and Caring in Western Balkan Universities" was to bring curricular reform for bachelor's nursing education in the WB region in line with competence-based education and professional standards to demonstrate compliance with all member countries of the European Union.