NCJ Number
101527
Journal
Journal of Applied Social Psychology Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Dated: (1986) Pages: 209-228
Date Published
1986
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Tests of three theories regarding the impact of beliefs on individual reactions to stress in the controlled prison environment showed that inmates with stronger external beliefs registered higher levels of stress than those who believed less in external control of events.
Abstract
The research tested three models: environmental incongruency, differential stress responses, and undifferentiated responses. A random sample of approximately 1,250 men was drawn from 5 prisons in Illinois and Missouri. Of this group, 781 completed a questionnaire that measured beliefs about control, anxiety and depression, and conflicts with others. Participants averaged 20 years in age and were serving sentences of up to 10 years. The< results did not support either the incongruency or the differential models. There was no evidence of change in passive stress responses over time in prison, but there was an increase in active responses such as conflicts with other inmates early during incarceration. As predicted by the undifferentiated response model, the group with a high external locus of control reported significantly more anxiety, depression, and conflicts with inmates and guards. Tables, footnotes, and approximately 90 references. (Author abstract modified)