The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and the effect on interpersonal relationships in adulthood for 30 prisoners from a state correctional facility in the Midwest by using face to face interviews.  

Possible risks 

 The inmates that are randomly selected might not meet the inclusion criteria for the study, so it could be difficult to get the desired sample size depending on the size of the facility and reason for incarceration, not all prisoners have had a traumatic childhood. Another concern would be that they might not be able to handle the feelings that arise from past traumatic events, recalling this information could cause further trauma or aggression towards research staff. The risk to society would be minimal if any as the research will likely happen within the walls of the facility. 

Possible benefits 

 Prisoners may be able to give insight into the events of their childhood. This information may help children in the future receive better care after a traumatic event (Agee, Briere, & Dietrich, 2016). Being able to discuss the trauma may help the prisoners come to terms with this incident and deal with any feelings they have. The researcher would obtain information to have a successful study and be able to produce better treatment plans for children whose lives have been affected by trauma. This could have a positive impact on society with improvements in the interventions made on youth affected by trauma, causing better outcomes in the future. Using to face to face interviews, the researcher may be able to understand the situation and the behavior possibly causing the incarceration.

Level of IRB approval 

The level of IRB approval needed for this research situation is a Full Board as it involves individuals within the prison system. There is also a greater than minimal risk that study participants could be exposed to (Levels of IRB Review, n.d.). This could have some community involvement in that the participant may expose something that the researcher would have to report, which again would expose the participant. A Full Board review would assure that the dignity of the participants and that the interview was conducted ethically.  

 

Martin, M. S., Eljdupovic, G., McKenzie, K., & Colman, I. (2015). Risk of violence by inmates with childhood trauma and mental health needs. Law and Human Behavior, 39(6), 614–623. 

Briere, J., Agee, E., & Dietrich, A. (2016). Cumulative trauma and current posttraumatic stress disorder status in general population and inmate samples. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 8(4), 439–446. 

Levels of IRB Review. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2020, from https://nsc.instructure.com/courses/2079313/pages/levels-of-irb-review