Childhood Trauma, Mental Health, and Crime Commission among Persons Deprived of Liberty in a Selected City Jail: Toward a Trauma-Informed Intervention Program

Authors

  • Gerardo Gonzales Jr Polytechnic University of the Philippines image/svg+xml Author
  • Elmer De Jose Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70922/fgjwkd02

Keywords:

childhod trauma, crime commission, mental health, Persons Deprived of Liberty, trauma-informed care

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between childhood trauma and mental health among Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) in the Philippine jail system, focusing on Baliuag City Jail, Region III. It also examines whether significant differences in trauma and mental health exist across crime categories. While trauma-crime linkages are widely studied in Western contexts, research remains limited within Philippine jail/correctional settings. Grounded in General Strain Theory and supported by Social  Learning Theory, Differential Association Theory, and Trauma-Informed Care Model, the study uses a descriptive correlational and comparative research design.

A stratified sample of 212 PDLs completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ-SF) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21). Results show that while reports of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse were limited, high rates of emotional neglect (41%) and physical neglect (62.3%) were observed. Despite generally normative mental health scores, 17% and 20.3% of respondents showed signs of depression and anxiety, respectively. Correlational analysis revealed significant positive relationships between trauma and mental health, particularly between physical neglect and depression (r = .551, p <  .001) and emotional abuse and stress (r = .539, p < .001). MANOVA results indicated statistically significant differences in trauma and mental health scores across crime types.

The study recommends integrating trauma-informed care into rehabilitation programs. It proposes Bagong Pilipinas: Pagbangon at Pag-asa sa  pamamagitan ng Trauma-Informed na Programa, a national initiative to train jail personnel, expand mental health services, and foster supportive, rehabilitative correctional environments throughout the Philippine jail and prison system

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Author Biographies

  • Gerardo Gonzales Jr, Polytechnic University of the Philippines

    Gerardo Gonzales Jr. is a full-time Junior Research Analyst at a multinational human resources and consulting firm, where he handles research and reporting across various sectors and industries. He also serves as a part-time Psychology Instructor at Holy Cross College – Pampanga. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Manila in 2019 and passed the Board Licensure Examination for Psychometricians in the same year. His interest in the rehabilitation and reform of individuals in conflict with the law began during his junior year, following his involvement in a psychosocial program at the Correctional Institution for Women – Maximum Security in Mandaluyong City.

  • Elmer De Jose

    Dr. Edelmer De Jose is a seasoned academic, registered psychologist, and psychometrician with three decades of teaching and administrative experience at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). Since 1995, he has served as a faculty member in the Department of Psychology, rising through the ranks from instructor to professor. He currently holds key leadership roles as the Director of the University Teaching and Learning Development Office and as Dean of the Graduate School, where he has been serving since 2019. Dr. De Jose is known for his commitment to academic excellence, faculty development, and advancing graduate education at PUP.

References

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Published

2026-07-30

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (2026): Social Sciences and Development Review

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Gerardo Gonzales Jr, Elmer De Jose (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Articles published in the SOCIAL SCIENCES AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW will be Open-Access articles distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). This allows for immediate free access to the work and permits any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose.

How to Cite

Gonzales Jr, G., & De Jose, E. (2026). Childhood Trauma, Mental Health, and Crime Commission among Persons Deprived of Liberty in a Selected City Jail: Toward a Trauma-Informed Intervention Program. Social Sciences and Development Review, 18(1), 173-210. https://doi.org/10.70922/fgjwkd02