An Abstract of Stress and Coping Styles of Female Prison Inmates

This study was an exploratory endeavor which examined the various stressors that female prison inmates typically face, as well as the particular coping strategies they employ. A group of 200 female prison inmates were selected randomly from a women’s prison in the midwestern United States. From this group of 200 inmates, 104 successfully completed the measures in this research project. The participants provided demographic information, and completed the Carver COPE measure as well as additional open-ended questions regarding various stressors which they had faced, and the coping styles which they utilized to deal with such stressors. Unlike a large portion of the existing research on stress and coping, this study attempted to take several factors involved in the coping process into account. For example, the inmate’s appraisal of the stressor was determined, and the coping strategies employed were matched with the particular stressor to which the inmate was responding. Overall, the results suggest that inmate coping is a very complex process, which can be affected by several factors, such as demographic iii variables, previous incarcerations, and the stressor with which the inmate is faced. Fo