Intensification of Type D Personality Traits and Coping Strategies of People Staying in Polish Penitentiary Institutions-Cross-Sectional Study.

Kinga Kołodziej,Anna Kurowska,Anna Majda

doi:10.3390/ijerph19042301

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the intensity of the occurrence of stress-prone personality traits (type D) and the strategies of coping with stress in a group of people staying in Polish penitentiary institutions. This study was conducted in two penitentiary units in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. Participants consisted of 152 prisoners. In this cross-sectional study, two standardized research tools—Mini-COPE Inventory for Measurement Coping with Stress and the Type-D Scale (DS14)—were used. The presence of a stress-prone personality (type D) among persons serving a prison sentence concerned 42.11% of the respondents and did not correlate with their sex and age. The convicted persons were more often guided by ‘negative affectivity’ than by ‘social inhibition’. People staying in penitentiary units most often used the strategy of ‘active coping’ and ‘planning’. Types of coping strategies used by the respondents depended on their sex and the presence of type D personal characteristics. Increasing people’s social awareness of the issues of stress experienced by prisoners can contribute to reducing the phenomenon of the marginalization and stigmatization of incarcerated people.

Highlights

There are 130 penitentiary units operating throughout Poland in fifteen District Inspectorates of the Prison Service [1]
The World Health Organization estimated that out of 9 million people staying in penitentiary institutions around the world, at least 1 million (11%) suffer from various types of mental disorders, the most common of which are depression and anxiety, which are the direct consequences of experiencing stress and inadequate coping [5,6]
The study presented in this article explores the issue of coping with stress and the intensity of the occurrence of a stress-prone personality among men and women serving prison sentences

Summary

Introduction

There are 130 penitentiary units operating throughout Poland in fifteen District Inspectorates of the Prison Service [1]. The incidence of mental health problems is higher in the prison population than in the general population [3,4]. The World Health Organization estimated that out of 9 million people staying in penitentiary institutions around the world, at least 1 million (11%) suffer from various types of mental disorders, the most common of which are depression and anxiety, which are the direct consequences of experiencing stress and inadequate coping [5,6]. Prison isolation is a stressful situation that results in the deprivation of needs in the field of, among others, personal autonomy, self-determination, and emotional contacts [7,8]. Persons staying in penitentiary units are forced to deal with excessive noise, adaptation to the rules prevailing in the institution, and sexual intimidation by fellow prisoners

Objectives

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Conclusion