Role of Social Support and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Mental Health Outcomes of Women Behind Bars

Abstract

Purpose:This research was carried out to find the role of social support and cognitive emotion regulation approaches in mental health outcomes of women behind bars.

Method:Female prisoners (n=200) were approached from four district jails of Punjab with purposive sampling technique. Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ;  Garnefski, Kraaij & Spinhoven, 2001), General Health Questionnaire- 28 (GHQ-28; Goldberg ,1978) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS, Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet & Farley, 1988) were used to measure coping strategies, mental health and communal support provided to female prisoners.

Results: Regression analysis revealed that perception of social support from significant others considerably predicted adaptive cognitive emotion regulation approaches whereas, lack of perceived social support lead towards maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and poorer mental health outcomes. It was also indicated from the results that somatic symptoms were predominant psychological problem among female prisoners, followed by anxiety insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression. Limitations and suggestions were also discussed.

Conclusion: This study proved to be a significant addition in forensic psychology and help forensic psychologist to understand mental health problems of female prisoners and to make interventions.