Empirical Articles

Article Critique Name: Institutional affiliation c Course: Date: Article Critique 1: Adverse childhood experiences and mental health among incarcerated women: self-esteem as a mediating mechanism Article Critique Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and mental health problems are interconnected. However, little is known about this interconnection among imprisoned women and how their self-esteem further impacts this relationship. In the article, “Adverse childhood experiences and mental health among incarcerated women: self-esteem as a mediating mechanism” Annett et al., sought to understand the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), mental health outcomes, and self-esteem. Annett et al., (2023) used a sample size of 500 incarcerated women from 8 Kentucky prisons where all the 500 participants were screened for OUD and their eligibility was assessed using relevant study criteria to ensure a representative sample. More so, structured interviews were collected privately by female staff, through which the researcher gathered data on ACEs, demographics, mental health symptoms, and self-esteem. This research’s methodological advantage lies in its ability to protect privacy and confidentiality at all stages of the research. The researchers used Pearson correlations to assess the bivariate linear relationship between ACEs and (1) traumatic stress (TSS), (2) anxiety (AFSS), (3) depression (DSS), and (4) self-esteem (RSES). The correlation analysis revealed a robust association between ACEs and mental health outcomes (traumatic stress, r = 0.407, p < .001; depression, r = 0.177, p < .001; and anxiety, r = 0.213, p < .001), as well as negative correlation with self-esteem (r = −0.24...