Predictors of generativity and satisfaction with life in a sample of women offenders

This article identifies predictors of two influences on desistance from crime - generativity (caring for others) and life satisfaction. Using data from a five-year longitudinal study of 260 women on probation and parole in Michigan, the goal is to determine whether risks and needs common to women offenders are related to generativity and satisfaction with life. Predictors included average values, and changes in values over time, for a range of psychological, social network, contextual, and resource indicators of characteristics common to women offenders. Regression analyses showed that, controlling for the effects of average levels of each variable, women who increased in self-efficacy and educational strengths and those who decreased in employment/financial needs reported high generativity. Women who improved in family relationships and who decreased in economic needs also had high life satisfaction. The findings suggest that community corrections interventions designed to increase women offenders' psychological, financial, and educational resources hold promise for supporting women offenders' general well-being and potentially their desistance. Relevant to theory, many adversities and circumstances appear to reduce the possibility of generativity and satisfaction with life.