An evaluation of the childhood traumas, disassociative experiences and feelings of guilt and embarrassment of males being at a prison as a detainee or a convict due to sexual abuse and narcotic crimes

This study mainly aims to evaluate the males being at a prison as a detainee or a convict due to sexual abuse and narcotic crimes in terms of childhood traumas, disassociative experiences and feelings of guilt and embarrassment. The population of the study consists of 492 male individuals aged between 18 and 80 being as a detainee and a convict at the T-Type Closed Prisons (No 1, 2 and 3 Closed Men's Prisons) of the Directorate General of Prisons and Detention Houses of the Ministry of Justice in the district of Tarsus of the province of Mersin. The sample of the study consists of 492 male detainees and convicts being at prisons, representing this population, and determined by the researcher through the method of purpesoful sampling. 35% of the participators are convicted of sexual abuse, and 30,5% are convicted of narcotic crimes. 20,30% of the participators are detained due to narcotic crimes, and 14,20% are detained due to sexual abuse. In the study, the data was collected by using the Demographic Survey, the Questions List for Childhood Abuse and Neglect (QLCAN), the Childhood Traumas Questionnaire (CTQ), the Disassociative Experiences Scale (DES), and the Guilt – Embarrassment Scale (GES) prepared by the researcher. The data was obtained as a result of applying the scales associated with the mentioned study to the target population at the relevant prisons in accordance with the principle of voluntariness. The data was directly collected through face-to-face interviews with male detainees and convicts. The data obtained in the study was evaluated by transferring to the package program of SPSS for Windows 25.00. For the scores of the scales used, the average values were shown as "arithmetic mean ± standard deviation". In the between-groups comparisons, the Kruskal Wallis and the Mann Whitney U tests, among the non-parametric methods, were used for the sub-scale of Sexual Abuse, and ANOVA and t–test, among the parametric methods, were used for the other scales and subscales. The Spearman correlation test, among the non-parametric methods, was used for the subscale of Sexual Abuse, and the Pearson correlation test and the multiple regression analysis were used for the other scales and subscales. Significance of the data obtained was proved to be .05, and the results were presented in tables in accordance with the sequence of the purposes of the study. The average of the total DES score of 38,6% (190 persons) of the total of 492 detainees and convicts being at a prison due to sexual abuse and narcotic crimes was found to be 30 and above. In addition, in this study, the average of the total DES score was evaluated in three categories being "0-14", "15-29" and "30 and above". The average DES score between "0-14" describes the daily life dissociation, the average DES score between "15-29" describes the "subclinical" level dissociation, and the average DES score of "30 and above" describes the dissociation at level that may diagnosed with at least one dissociative disorder. Upon an evaluation of the dissociative experiences in this direction, it was revealed that 26,8% (134 persons) of the male detainees and convicts had a total DES score average between 0-14, 34,6% (168 persons) of the male detainees and convicts had a total DES score average between 15-29, and as stated above, 38,6% (190 persons) of the male detainees and convicts had a total DES score average of 30 and above. What is more, while it was discovered that the total DES score average of 30,9% (75 persons) of 242 detainees and convicts being at a prison due to sexual abuse was 30 and above, the total DES score average of 46,0% (115 persons) of 250 detainees and convicts being at a prison due to narcotic crimes was 30 and above. It was determined as an investigation of the detainees and convicts being at a prison due to sexual abuse and narcotic crimes that 97,10% (68 persons) of those detained due to sexual abuse, 99,0% (99 persons) of those detained due to narcotic crimes, 97,70% (168 persons) of those convicted of sexual abuse, and 98,00% (147 persons) of those convicted of narcotic crimes had at least one childhood crime. Upon an evaluation of the childhood traumas in terms of the subscales within the CTQ, it was found that emotional abuse was 58,60% (41 persons) for those detained due to sexual abuse, 61,00% (61 persons) for those detained due to narcotic crimes, 67,40% (116 persons) for those convicted of sexual abuse, and 68,70% (103 persons) for those convicted of narcotic crimes. It was revealed that physical abuse, one of the other subscales, was 48,60% (34 persons) for those detained due to sexual abuse, 51,00% (51 persons) for those detained due to narcotic crimes, 55,20% (95 persons) for those convicted of sexual abuse, and 62,70% (94 persons) for those convicted of narcotic crimes. In the same study, it was detected that physical neglect was 88,60% (62 persons) for those detained due to sexual abuse, 80,00% (80 persons) for those detained due to narcotic crimes, 88,40% (152 persons) for those convicted of sexual abuse, and 93,30% (140 persons) for those convicted of narcotic crimes; and emotional neglect was 94,30% (66 persons) for those detained due to sexual abuse, 95,00% (95 persons) for those detained due to narcotic crimes, 94,20% (162 persons) for those convicted of sexual abuse, and 94,00% (141 persons) for those convicted of narcotic crimes. Upon a review of sexual abuse, the last subscale, it was revealed that it was experienced by 44,30% (31 persons) by those detained due to sexual abuse, by 29,00% (29 persons) by those detained due to sexual abuse, by 47,10% (81 persons) by those detained due to sexual abuse, and by 32,00% (48 persons) by those detained due to sexual abuse. There is a low level, positive, and significant relationship (p<0,05) between the scores of Childhood Traumas (CTQ) and Dissociative Experiences (DES) (r=0,229) of the males being at a prison as a detainee/convict due to narcotic crimes. A statistically significant difference was obtained between the groups detained due to sexual abuse and the groups convicted of sexual abuse in terms of Disassociative Experiences (DES) (p=0,000<0,05). According to the status at the prison, it was found that the Disassociative Experiences (DES) scores of the participants convicted of sexual abuse crime (x̄=25,42) were higher than the participants detained due to sexual abuse crime (x̄=21,11). In spite of the fact that the CTQ scores of the males convicted/detained at the prison due to sexual abuse crime (x̄=49,21) were higher than the males convicted of/detained at the prison due to narcotic crimes (x̄=47,32), no statistically significant difference was found between the two (p 0,223>0,05). A statistically significant difference was found between the groups of crime of the participators in terms of the scores of Sexual Abuse scale, among the subscales of the CTQ (p=0,001<0,05). It was found that the Sexual Abuse scores of those detained due to/convicted of sexual abuse crime (x̄=7,25) were higher than those detained due to/convicted of narcotic crimes (x̄=6,30). A medium-level, positive, and significant relationship was found between the scores of the Disassociative Experiences Scale (DES) and the Childhood Traumas Questionnaire of the males convicted of/detained due to sexual abuse crime at a prison (r=0,346). A statistically significant difference was obtained between the groups of the types of crimes of the participators in terms of the Guilt-Embarrassment score (p=0,000<0,05).It was concluded that the Guilt-Embarrassment scores of those detained due to/convicted of sexual abuse(x̄=81,94) were higher than those detained due to/convicted of narcotic crimes(x̄=74,27).