Relationship Between Female Inmates' Coping and Adjustment in a Minimum-Security Prison

• NCJ Number: 166326
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 24 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1997) Pages: 224-233
• Author(s): C Negy; D J Woods; R Carlson
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study identified specific coping strategies associated with psychosocial adjustment in a minimum-security prison camp for women in Bryan, Texas.

Abstract

Subjects included 153 female inmates (78 white, 40 black, 30 Hispanic, 1 Asian, and 4 other) who completed a demographic questionnaire, the COPE Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Rosenberg Self- Esteem Scale. Of 13 theoretically distinct coping strategies, six were significantly and positively associated with psychosocial adjustment in the areas of self-esteem, depression, and state anxiety and two were significantly and negatively associated with psychosocial adjustment. Also, larger coping repertoires were associated with higher psychosocial adjustment scores. Implications of the findings for future research on teaching inmates coping techniques are discussed. 19 references and 1 table