Predictors of generativity and satisfaction with life in a sample of women offenders

ABSTRACT

This article identifies predictors of two influences on desistance from crime – generativity (caring for others) and life satisfaction. Using data from a five-year longitudinal study of 260 women on probation and parole in Michigan, the goal is to determine whether risks and needs common to women offenders are related to generativity and satisfaction with life. Predictors included average values, and changes in values over time, for a range of psychological, social network, contextual, and resource indicators of characteristics common to women offenders. Regression analyses showed that, controlling for the effects of average levels of each variable, women who increased in self-efficacy and educational strengths and those who decreased in employment/financial needs reported high generativity. Women who improved in family relationships and who decreased in economic needs also had high life satisfaction. The findings suggest that community corrections interventions designed to increase women offenders' psychological, financial, and educational resources hold promise for supporting women offenders’ general well-being and potentially their desistance. Relevant to theory, many adversities and circumstances appear to reduce the possibility of generativity and satisfaction with life.

KEYWORDS:

• Generativity
• satisfaction with life
• women offenders
• barriers to positive outcomes
• community corrections

Acknowledgements

Both authors made substantial contributions to the conceptualization and design of the research that produced the data and the draft of the paper. Both authors read and approved final manuscript. Morash took primary responsibility for writing the literature review and the implications of findings, and Kashy handled data management, statistical analyses, and preparation of text and tables to convey findings.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Sharing

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Interuniversity Consortium on Political and Social Research, https://www.openicpsr.org/openicpsr/project/131861/version/V1/view;jsessionid=46E8AE4A65F1943DCC03F492C02B7059, and Interuniversity Consortium on Political and Social Research, https://www.researchconnections.org/icpsrweb/instructors/studies/37074?groupResults=false&sdaAvailable=true&q=&sortBy=5&paging.startRow=51

Notes

1 All analyses were also run excluding the covariates. Results were virtually identical to those reported here.

Additional information

Funding

This article is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation [grant numbers 1126162 and 1430372], and by a Strategic Partnership grant from the Michigan State University Foundation.