Quality of Life and Its Correlates in People Serving Prison Sentences in Penitentiary Institutions

Psychophysical quality of life and its determinants in prisoners: the role of selected psychosocial factors

PURPOSE

Penal institutions affect their inmates' mental as well as physical health. Prisoners have higher rates of physical health conditions than the public. While it is known that psychosocial factors determine patients' quality of life, little research has focused on factors related to prisoners' psychophysical quality of life (PQoL). The purpose of this study is to analyze the determinants of prisoners' PQoL.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

The sample consisted of 390 prisoners recruited from correctional facilities administered by the Warsaw District Inspectorate of Prisons. This study hypothesized that social support, coherence and self-efficacy would be positive determinants of PQoL and that depression, anxiety and anger would be its negative determinants. The collected data were analyzed by means of structural equation modeling.

FINDINGS

The positive determinants of PQoL in prisoners are coherence, self-efficacy and social support. The negative determinant of PQoL is trait depression.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

This study has revealed a list of factors significant for improving prisoners' PQoL. Factors have also indicated which of the predictors measured are the most significant. The identified set of significant factors should be taken into account in social rehabilitation programs for prisoners as contributing to the preservation of life and health.

Quality of life and prosocial or antisocial coping with resource deprivation: A cross-sectional study of people at risk of social exclusion

(1) Background

This paper presents a study based on Stevan Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory and deals specifically with resources and coping as predictors of the quality of life of persons threatened by social exclusion. They have no access to public psychosocial resources, the acquisition and accumulation of which are closely linked to the perceived quality of life.

(2) Method

A cross-sectional self-reported questionnaire study. A sample of 1,074 individuals from various groups at risk of exclusion was surveyed using the Conservation of Resources-Evaluation Questionnaire, the Strategic Approach to Coping Scale, and the WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire. The research was done among people supported by Polish non-governmental organizations operating nationwide. Structural equation modeling was used to test mediational hypotheses in the analysis.

(3) Results

The significant variables that determined the relationship between resource gains and losses and the quality of life included active–passive and prosocial–antisocial coping strategies. The results were generally robust, but the level of education moderated the relationship between active antisocial coping and quality of life.

(4) Conclusions

The obtained dependencies are consistent with Hobfoll’s approach, confirming its usefulness. Prosocial coping mediates the effect of resource gain on the increase in quality of life and the effect of resource loss on the decline in quality of life, strengthening the former and weakening the latter.

Three Strategies for Describing Social Interactions of Adolescents in a Multicultural Environment-Indicators for the Quality of Life Research

Background: The analysis has involved social interactions in a multicultural environment. The social context has been defined by the Vilnius region (Lithuania), where national, religious, and cultural differences exist across generations (multicultural community). The space of “social relationships”, as one of the modules of the WHO quality of life assessment, has been studied. An innovation of the research has been related to the analysis of the phenomenon of community of nationalities and cultures as a predictor of quality of life (QoL). The social motive of the research has been the historical continuity (for centuries) of the construction of the Vilnius cultural borderland. Here, the local community evolves from a group of many cultures to an intercultural community. Interpreting the data, therefore, requires a long perspective (a few generations) to understand the quality of relationships. We see social interactions and strategies for building them as a potential for social QoL in multicultural environments. Methods: The research has been conducted on a sample of 374 respondents, including Poles (172), Lithuanians (133), and Russians (69). A diagnostic poll has been used. The respondents were adolescents (15–16 years). The research answers the question: What variables form the interaction strategies of adolescents in a multicultural environment? The findings relate to interpreting the social interactions of adolescents within the boundaries of their living environment. The description of the social relations of adolescents provides an opportunity to implement the findings for further research on QoL. Results: An innovative outcome of the research is the analysis of 3 interaction strategies (attachment to national identification, intercultural dialogue, and multicultural community building) as a background for interpreting QoL in a multicultural environment. Their understanding is a useful knowledge for QoL researchers. The data analysis has taken into account cultural and generational (historical) sensitivities. Therefore, the team studying the data has consisted of researchers and residents of the Vilnius region. We used the interaction strategies of adolescents to describe the category of “social relationships” in nationally and culturally diverse settings.