Socio-demographic characteristics as correlates of psychological distress

• Date: 10 September 2018
• Pages: 210-219
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-10-2017-0042
• Published date: 10 September 2018
• Author: Johnson Nwabueze Okoro,Chinenye Nnenna Ezeonwuka,Justus Uchenna Onu
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Prisoner health,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice

Socio-demographic characteristics as

correlates of psychological distress

Johnson Nwabueze Okoro, Chinenye Nnenna Ezeonwuka and Justus Uchenna Onu

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to assess the level of psychological distress of offenders newly

brought into prison custody in a Nigerian prison and investigate the relationship with socio-demographic and

penal characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach –A cross-sectional study involving 236 new prison entrants who were

assessed for psychological distress using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the

Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Findings –A total of 267 prison inmates were newly brought to prison custody over a three-month period.Out of

this, 236 (88.4 per cent) of them participated in the study. Majority of the inmates were males 225 (95.3 per cent),

awaiting-trial inmates 208 (88.1 per cent), single 144 (61 per cent), Christian 224 (94.9 per cent), first time

offenders 218 (92.4 per cent) and charged with violent offences 136 (57.6 per cent). Majority of the inmates

scored above cut-off points on the GHQ-12 and the HADS. In total, 157 (66.5 per cent) on HADS anxiety

subscale, 201 (85.2 per cent) on HADS depression subscale and 199 (84.3 per cent) on GHQ-12. Significant

relationship was observed between GHQ-12 “caseness”, prison category and type of offence. Prison situation

and type of offence were significantly associated with HADS depression subscale, whereas age was associated

with HADS anxiety subscale.

Research limitations/implications –Some limitations were encountered in the course of the study. First,

the study relied on self-report questionnaires for collection of data. Second, information given by the

respondents could neither be corroborated by family members, who were not present during the interview,

nor by the officers and men of the Nigeria Prisons Service, who knew little or nothing about the respondents.

Participants in this study had spent maximum of three days in prison during the interview, thus certain levels

of distress within three days after incarceration may not entail “caseness”in the sense of the presence of a

psychiatric disorder. Therefore assessment over a longer period is needed.

Practical implications –Screening prison inmates on reception into prison custody provides a vista of

opportunity to identify mental health problems and socio-demographic and forensic correlates of

psychological distress among new entrants into prison custody. This will facilitate early identification and

management of prison inmates with health needs. Health screening on reception will also help in identifying

the various penal or forensic characteristics of prison inmates, which will be put into consideration during

selection of appropriate rehabilitation and reformation activities that best fit a particular prison inmate. Early

screening of prison inmates upon reception in the prison will also help in identifying prison inmates who have

high risk of suicide and self-harm, thus preventing cases of death that may arise as a result of these mental

health problems. Findings from this study will also enrich the body of knowledge on mental health problems of

prison inmates entering the prison; this will also help the criminal justice system in decision making, especially

with emphasis on psychological evaluation of prison inmates before dispensing judgment. On the part of the

prison authority, the prison inmates identified to have psychological distress and some forensic

characteristics can be properly classified, and kept in cells that will not aggravate their distress. Finally,

this is the first study of prison inmates on reception into Enugu Maximum Security Prison, Enugu State

Nigeria. The implication of this is that findings from this research will form a baseline on which further research

on prison inmates upon reception in the prison can be conducted.

Originality/value –This study demonstrated that prison inmates are faced with high level of psychological

distress during their early days in prison, and that some socio-demographic and forensic variables had

significant association with psychological distress as itemised in Tables III and IV. Therefore, screening new

inmates on prison reception will help in early identification and treatment of vulnerable groups. This will also

help in proper classification and allocation into appropriate cells of prison inmates by the prison authority.

Keywords Prison, New entrants, Prevalence, Psychological distress, Anxiety and depression,

Psychiatric morbidity

Paper type Research paper

Received 2 October 2017

Revised 11 January 2018

Accepted 15 January 2018

Appreciation goes to the Nigerian

Prisons Service. Appreciation also

goes to the staff of Enugu

Maximum Security Prison:

Celestina Inoma Obiageli, Loveline

Agugbue and Emmanuel Eze.

Ofokansi Lawrence Ndubuisi is

also appreciated. Conflict of

interest: no competing interest.

Johnson Nwabueze Okoro is

Medical Practitioner at the

Nigeria Prisons Service,

Enugu, Nigeria.

Chinenye Nnenna Ezeonwuka

is based at the Project

Development Institute,

Enugu, Nigeria.

Justus Uchenna Onu is

Hospital Consultant at the

Federal Neuropsychiatric

Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria.

PAGE210

j

INTERNATIONALJOURNAL OF PRISONER HEALTH

j

VOL. 14 NO. 3 2018, pp. 210-219, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1744-9200 DOI 10.1108/IJPH-10-2017-0042