An Exploratory Study to Determine the Quality of Life (QoL) and Factors Leading to Imprisonment among Women Prisoners in a Selected Women Prison

Abstract

The research study titled “An exploratory study to determine the quality of life (QoL) and factors leading to imprisonment among women prisoners in a selected women prison” was based on the objectives; to determine the quality of life of women prisoners, to explore the factors leading to imprisonment, to find the association between the QoL of women prisoners and selected socio demographic and clinical variables, to find the association between the QoL and domains of quality of life of women prisoners and to find the association between the QoL of women prisoners and factors leading to imprisonment. Survey approach with an exploratory design was adopted and was conducted in a selected women prison. The conceptual framework was based on the Quality of Life model at the Centre for Health Promotion, University of Toronto. The study had primary outcome variables as quality of life and factors leading to imprisonment among women prisoners. Seventy samples were selected by purposive sampling technique. The tools used for the study were validated, pretested and the reliability also was established. The major findings of the study revealed that 43 (61.4%) participants have good quality of life. Among seventy participants 21 (30%) of them had poor QoL in psychological domain. Thirty seven (52.9%) of the participants had good QoL score in physical domain and 36 (51.4%) of them had medium QoL score in psychological domain. Majority 51 (72.9%) of the samples had good QoL score in social domain and 46 (65.7%) of them had good QoL score in environmental domain. Majority i.e. 61 (87.1%) of them had good QoL score in spiritual domain. Among the 70 participants, 10 (14.3%) of the participants had poverty as the leading reason for committing crime, followed by 8 (11.4%) having physical abuse and another 8 (11.4%) having family breakdown as the factor leading to imprisonment. Among the socio demographic variables; age of women prisoners has statistically significant association with the QoL of women prisoners (p<0.05). Among the clinical variables; Blood pressure and Lipid profile (Total serum cholesterol) have statistically significant association with quality of life (p=0.048). Physical, psychological and social domains have statistically significant association with the QoL of women prisoners (p<0.05). Factors leading to imprisonment has statistically significant association with the QoL of women prisoners (p <0.05).