Lima Lucas, Gomes Anna Beatriz, Marques Louise, Marques da Silva Brilhante de Araujo Delcio, Teruya Karina Ayumi, Santos Pedro, Araujo Clara, Santos Gleiber, Landeira-Fernandez Jesus, Anunciação Luis, Murray Christopher
Federal University of Goias, Goiania, Brazil.
Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Int J Prison Health (2024). 2025 Jul 3. doi: 10.1108/IJOPH-04-2024-0021.
This study aims to examine how prison experience, perceived social support, and education are related to mental health distress among Brazilian inmates.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 242 male (M age = 31.84 years, SD = 8.29) prisoners from three facilities in Brazil's Central-West region. Mental health distress was assessed using the self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20), which captures anxiety, depression and somatic complaints. The scale of experience (SEP) in prison evaluates inmates' subjective experiences related to the prison environment, such as sense of safety, whereas the social support perception (EPSUS-A) scale measures perceived emotional and instrumental support from family, friends and others.
Inmates reported moderate levels of mental health distress (), prison experience () and social support (). Correlations showed that prison experience was positively related to perceived social support () and negatively related to mental health distress (, ). In a multiple regression model, sociodemographic variables accounted for 15% of the variance in mental health distress (). After adding the main predictors, the final model accounted for 26% of the variance (). Prison experience was a significant predictor of fewer mental health symptoms ().
RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This study relied on self-report measures, which may be subject to social desirability and underreporting of symptoms. The cross-sectional design limits causal interpretations, and the sample included only male inmates from one region in Brazil, reducing generalizability.
First, correctional staff should be trained to promote safer, more respectful environments, as positive prison experiences were linked to better mental health. Second, while strengthening social support networks is a practical step, future research should also focus on developing better tools to assess mental health among inmates, ensuring more accurate identification and intervention.
First, the study highlights the importance of improving prison environments, as positive experiences in prison were linked to better mental health outcomes. Second, it suggests that enhancing inmates' access to social support could reduce psychological distress. Together, these findings emphasize the need for correctional policies focused on fostering support within prisons to promote inmate well-being and successful reintegration into society.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Results highlight prison experience as a protective and malleable factor, suggesting targets for mental health interventions in prisons.
本研究旨在探讨监狱经历、感知到的社会支持和教育与巴西囚犯心理健康困扰之间的关系。
设计/方法/途径：对来自巴西中西部地区三个监狱设施的242名男性囚犯（平均年龄=31.84岁，标准差=8.29）进行了一项横断面研究。使用自填问卷（SRQ-20）评估心理健康困扰，该问卷涵盖焦虑、抑郁和躯体不适。监狱经历量表（SEP）评估囚犯与监狱环境相关的主观体验，如安全感，而社会支持感知量表（EPSUS-A）测量来自家人、朋友和其他人的情感和工具性支持。
囚犯报告的心理健康困扰、监狱经历和社会支持水平中等。相关性分析表明，监狱经历与感知到的社会支持呈正相关，与心理健康困扰呈负相关。在多元回归模型中，社会人口统计学变量解释了心理健康困扰变异的15%。加入主要预测变量后，最终模型解释了26%的变异。监狱经历是心理健康症状较少的一个重要预测因素。
研究局限性/启示：本研究依赖自填式测量方法，可能存在社会期望性和症状报告不足的问题。横断面设计限制了因果关系的解释，且样本仅包括来自巴西一个地区的男性囚犯，降低了研究结果的普遍性。
第一，惩教人员应接受培训，以营造更安全、更受尊重的环境，因为积极的监狱经历与更好的心理健康相关。第二，虽然加强社会支持网络是一个切实可行的步骤，但未来的研究也应侧重于开发更好的工具来评估囚犯的心理健康，以确保更准确的识别和干预。
第一，该研究强调了改善监狱环境的重要性，因为监狱中的积极体验与更好的心理健康结果相关。第二，这表明增加囚犯获得社会支持的机会可以减少心理困扰。总之，这些发现强调了需要制定侧重于在监狱内促进支持的惩教政策，以促进囚犯的福祉并成功重新融入社会。
原创性/价值：研究结果突出了监狱经历作为一个具有保护作用且可改变的因素，为监狱心理健康干预提供了目标。
