Multiple traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder and offending behaviour in female prisoners.

Background: Although it is well established that prisoners commonly have histories of childhood trauma, little is known about mediators between exposure to trauma and criminal behaviour.

Hypotheses: We hypothesised that the experience of trauma in adulthood, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotional dysregulation would mediate the relationship between childhood traumatic events and later criminal behaviour.

Methods: Eighty-nine female prisoners were interviewed using standardised scales, in a cross-sectional study design.