Women and men entangled in the criminal legal system have a high prevalence of trauma, and research has documented the relationship between trauma and deviant behavior. The theory of posttraumatic growth has established the importance of trauma disclosure in gaining support for trauma, facilitating posttraumatic growth, and improving one’s well-being. Trauma research has identified a myriad of barriers to trauma disclosure, and evidence suggests that distrust of correctional actors may hinder system-involved individuals’ disclosure of trauma. Researchers have yet to study the role of trust in clients’ trauma disclosure to probation and parole agents, and the outcomes of disclosure. Probation and parole agents have an opportunity to connect their clients with needed trauma-focused services. This mixed-method research study is designed to analyze the trauma disclosure decisions of 135 individuals on felony probation and parole in Michigan. The first step of this study used quantitative data to test models that included hypothesized predictors of 85 men and 50 women’s trauma disclosure to the supervising agent. Multivariate logistic regression analyses tested the relationship between clients’ trust in agents and trauma disclosure, and included measures of gender, race, age, level of trauma-related needs, level of perceived social support, and time on supervision as covariates. Quantitative analyses also tested for the moderating effects of gender and race on the relationship between trust in an agent and disclosure of trauma to an agent. Results showed a significant relationship between trust in an agent and trauma disclosure to an agent, but nonsignificant relationships between all other covariates and disclosure. Similarly, tests for moderating effects of race and gender yielded nonsignificant results. For the second step of this study, qualitative analyses were conducted from interviews with 50 men and 29 women who also were part of the quantitative analyses, to develop an explanation of clients’ trauma disclosure to agents and to explore a range of potential influences on participants’ disclosure decisions and the immediate outcomes of disclosure (e.g., agent response). The study participants’ explanations revealed a number of reasons for disclosure and non-disclosure and offered several key findings. First, receipt of support to cope with trauma (from sources alternative to the agent) was connected to decisions to disclose trauma to agents or not. Barriers to disclosure included perceptions that it would be inappropriate to disclose trauma or mental health information in the supervision context, distrust of the agent or the criminal legal system, discomfort divulging trauma to others, negative prior disclosure experiences, and feeling too overwhelmed by the harmful effects of trauma. Facilitators to disclosure included perceived trustworthiness of the agent, belief that agent should know about the trauma, and for a few disclosers, feeling pressured, required, or coerced to disclose trauma to the agent. Agents responded to trauma disclosure by providing emotional support, informational support, or tangible support; unsupportive responses included dismissive, unhelpful, and rarely, punitive responses. Matrix coding was used to compare these themes by gendered and racialized groups, and revealed some qualitative distinctions in clients’ reasons for disclosure and non-disclosure and expectations of whether agents would have a supportive or unsupportive response to trauma disclosure, i.e., expectations of whether the agent could or would help or care about their trauma. Altogether, the quantitative results and qualitative findings establish evidence of the connection of trust to trauma disclosure to probation and parole agents, and they have theoretical implications for the theory of posttraumatic growth and psychological theories of disclosure. Furthermore, results of the qualitative findings revealed additional influences on trust and trauma disclosure to supervising agents.
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