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

• Published date: 22 October 2019
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-02-2019-0009
• Pages: 151-164
• Date: 22 October 2019
• Author: Chuka Mike Ifeagwazi,Emeka E. Nwokpoku,JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji,John E. Eze,Emmanuel Ekpedoho Abiama
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Prisoner health,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice

Somatic symptoms among prison inmates:

contributions of emotion regulation,

dispositional mindfulness, and duration

of stay in prison

Chuka Mike Ifeagwazi, Emeka E. Nwokpoku, JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji,

John E. Eze and Emmanuel Ekpedoho Abiama

Abstract

Purpose –The modern prisonsystem is not only a necessity to keep the publicsafe but also a mode of

punishment for crimes.The correctional role of prisons is hampered in situationsof mental illness, given

that mental illness in theprison or correctional setting is a serious securityrisk. Few studies have given

attentionto the modifiable factors that may influence the mentalhealth status of prison inmates, especially

in developing countries.The purpose of this paper is to investigate emotionregulation (ER), dispositional

mindfulnessand duration of stay as factorsin somatic symptoms among prison inmates.

Design/methodology/approach –Participantswere 209 prison inmates drawn from a prison in Eastern

Nigeria, who completed measures of ER (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression),

mindfulnessand somatization.

Findings –Results of a hierarchical multiple regression indicated that cognitive reappraisal predicted

somatic complaintsbut it was only among older prison inmates, while expressivesuppression 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 somaticcomplaints among prison inmates in emergingadulthood only (younger inmates), but

not among olderinmates.

Research limitations/implications –Frequent use of cognitivereappraisal 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-basedtherapies in psychosocial interventions to reducesomatic complaints in correctional

settingsdeserves further investigation.

Originality/value –To date, there is limited research on somatic complaints of prisoners in the

developingsocieties, particularly the psychosocialfactors that may contribute to mental healthproblems.

Keywords Mental health policy, Emotion regulation, Prisoner health, Duration of stay

Paper type Research paper

The modern prison system is considered 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. First, one aspect of the social hypothesis of

recidivism (Mears et al., 2008), suggests that mentally ill persons who find themselves in

less optimal social situations may resort to crime in order to return to prison life, wherethere

may be improved social situations and a rehabilitating environment, yet correctional

facilities often fall short of meeting acceptable standards of healthcare (Hoke, 2015). This

Chuka Mike Ifeagwazi,

Emeka E. Nwokpoku,

JohnBosco Chika

Chukwuorji and John E. Eze

are all based at the

Department of Psychology,

University of Nigeria,

Enugu, Nigeria. Emmanuel

Ekpedoho Abiama is based

at the Department of

Psychology, Faculty of

Social Science, University

of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.

Received 2 February 2019

Revised 18 June 2019

26 August 2019

9 September 2019

Accepted 16 September 2019

DOI 10.1108/IJPH-02-2019-0009 VOL. 16 NO. 2 2020,pp. 151-164, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1744-9200 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRISONER HEALTH jPAGE 151