Substance Use Criminality, and Social Support: An Exploratory Analysis with Incarcerated Women

This exploratory study examined the extent to which substance use and criminality influence perceptions of social support. A stratified random sample of 100 incarcerated women in one Kentucky prison participated in face-to-face interviews. Overall, findings indicate that perceptions of social support significantly and negatively correlated with women's severity of substance use and criminal involvement. In addition, the breadth of a respondent's social network was negatively related to the age of first incarceration and to the severity of alcohol and drug use. Findings from this study suggest there is a relationship between severity of substance use, criminality, and perceptions of social support. Implications for substance use research and practice are discussed.