Adaptation to prison and psychological adjustment in a sample of prison inmates

Abstract

Resumen Aunque la literatura ha abordado ampliamente el estudio de la prisionizacion, el analisis de los efectos de las va­riables criminologicas en la adaptacion a prision y del estatus social en prision, y de estas en el ajuste psicolo­gico y las destrezas cognitivas que emplean los internos no ha sido suficientemente trabajado. Para conocer de ello, evaluamos en variables criminologicas, adaptacion a prision, estatus social en prision, ajuste psicologico y destrezas cognitivas a una muestra de 112 internos varo­nes en cumplimiento de una pena privativa de libertad de una prision portuguesa, con edades entre 23 y 74 anos ( M  = 40.40, DT  = 1.04), 77 (68.8 %) con antecedentes penales (reincidentes). Los resultados revelaron que las variables criminologicas (e.g., problemas en la familia) estaban relacionados con niveles mas bajos de adapta­cion a la prision. Ademas, los internos presentaban peor ajus­te psicologico que la poblacion general, y los reinci­dentes que los primarios. Asimismo, tambien pusieron de manifiesto que los internos se caracterizaban en la reso­lucion de problemas por recurrir a estrategias de afron­tamiento evitativas (i.e., Evitacion cognitiva, Aceptacion o Resignacion, Busqueda de recompensas alternativas, Descarga emocional), en detrimento de las aproximativas (i.e., Analisis logico). Se discuten las implicaciones de los resultados para el diseno de programas de interven­cion dentro de prision y la preparacion para la vida en li­bertad (i.e., tercer grado). Abstract Although prisonization has been studied in previous lit­erature, the effects of criminological variables on prison adaption and prison social status; and of the latter on psychological adjustment and cognitive skills have not been sufficiently analysed. As for knowing about this, 112 male prison inmates with an age range between 23 and 74 years ( M  = 40.40, SD  = 1.04), 77 (68.8 %) with criminal records (recidivists) serving sentences in a Por­tuguese prison were evaluated in prison adaption, prison social status, psychological adjustment and cognitive skills. The results showed that criminological variables (e.g., family problems) were related with lower levels of adaption to prison. Furthermore, prison inmates exhib­ited a significant worse psychological adjustment than the normative population, and recidivists than primary offenders. Likewise, the results revealed that prison in­mates were characterized in problem solving tasks by adopting an avoidant coping style (i.e., Cognitive avoidance, Acceptance or Resignation, Seeking alternative rewards, Emotional discharge), at the expense of an approach coping style (i.e., Logical analysis). The implications of the results for in-prison intervention programmes design and the preparation for a third-degree life i.e., under parole, are discussed.