Somatic symptoms among prison inmates: contributions of emotion regulation, dispositional mindfulness, and duration of stay in prison

Abstract

PurposeThe modern prison system is not only a necessity to keep the public safe but also a mode of punishment for crimes. The correctional role of prisons is hampered in situations of mental illness, given that mental illness in the prison or correctional setting is a serious security risk. Few studies have given attention to the modifiable factors that may influence the mental health status of prison inmates, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to investigate emotion regulation (ER), dispositional mindfulness and duration of stay as factors in somatic symptoms among prison inmates.Design/methodology/approachParticipants were 209 prison inmates drawn from a prison in Eastern Nigeria, who completed measures of ER (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), mindfulness and somatization.FindingsResults of a hierarchical multiple regression indicated that cognitive reappraisal predicted somatic complaints but it was only among older prison inmates, while expressive suppression was not a significant predictor of somatic complaints. Dispositional mindfulness was a negative predictor of somatic complaints among younger and older prison inmates. Duration of stay in prison positively predicted somatic complaints among prison inmates in emerging adulthood only (younger inmates), but not among older inmates.Research limitations/implicationsFrequent use of cognitive reappraisal strategy of ER by prisoners may not always be productive in reducing somatic complaints, and the length of time in prison may influence somatic symptoms especially for younger prisoners. The possible benefits of incorporating mindfulness-based therapies in psychosocial interventions to reduce somatic complaints in correctional settings deserves further investigation.Originality/valueTo date, there is limited research on somatic complaints of prisoners in the developing societies, particularly the psychosocial factors that may contribute to mental health problems.