Inmates’ Adaptation to Prison: Investigating the Mediating Role of Resilience in the Relationship between Religiosity and Prison Adjustment

Incarceration is one of the most stressful life experiences with negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of the prisoners. Sufficient studies exist on the association between religiosity and adjustment to prison (ATP) but no studies have investigated the mediating variables explaining this link. This study examined the mediating role of resilience on the relationship between religiosity and ATP. Participants 513 inmates (males = 410, females = 103; mean age = 30.86, SD = 7.71 years) drawn from Enugu and Nsukka custodial centres in the South East Nigeria. They responded to Prison Adjustment Questionnaire, Religious Orientation Test and Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale in addition to supplying other relevant information. Hayes PROCESS macro for SPSS which uses a regression-based, path-analytical framework, was used in the data analysis. The results showed a significant indirect effect of resilience on the association between religiosity and ATP (β = .45, p < .001, 95% CI [0.27, 0.62]). This result revealed that resilience mediated the relationship between religiosity and ATP, indicating that individuals who are religious may possess higher resilience, leading to improved ATP. In conclusion, the study recommends incorporating comprehensive mental health services with a focus on resilience-building strategies in prison policies. Encouraging detainees’ religious beliefs and activities is suggested, along with promoting psychological therapies to enhance resilience and improve adjustment to prison life.