COPING ORIENTATION TO PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED AMONG WOMEN INMATES IN ETOT REFORM CENTER, DUHOK, KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQ

  • FARSAT SAEED SAADI Internal Medicine Specialist, Azadi Teaching Hospital, Duhok Governorate, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
  • BLAND BAYAR KHALEEL Diabetologist, NCD Department, Directorate of Preventive Health Affairs, Duhok Governorate, KRI
  • AVA GHAZI RASHEED *** Psychiatrist, Azadi Teaching Hospital, Duhok Governorate, KRI
  • YOUSIF ALI YASSEEN Assistant Professor, Psychiatrist, College of Medicine, University of Duhok, KRI
  • HALAT ABDULKAREEM MOHAMMED General Prosecutor, Etot Reform Center, Directorate of Care and Social development, Duhok Gov., KRI
Keywords: Women inmates, Coping strategies, Reform Centers, Brief COPE

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.31386/dmj.2025.19.1.1

Background: Coping with stressful situation need various strategies, while some minimize stress, others could exacerbate. Being inmates, expose an individual to immense stress and require huge efforts to overcome the situation and adapt to the new environment. The present study identify the patterns of coping among women inmates in Etot Reform Center in Duhok Governorate, Iraq and find the most prevalent coping strategies used.

Methods: A cross-sectional study uses Brief-COPE 28 item self-report questionnaire among 53 women inmates. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. Categorical data were described by their frequency and frequency percentages. Fisher-Freeman-Halton Exact test was used to test the association between COPE items and socio-demographic variables. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The most frequently used coping items was religion (77.4%), followed by self-blame and use of informational support (50.9%), while the least frequently used were humor (3.8%) and substance use (11.3%). Emotion Focused Coping was the main strategy to cope while Problem-Focused Coping strategy had been used frequently, and the Avoidant Coping was the least used strategy to cope.

Conclusions: Based on the findings presented, there should be appropriate interventions that support mental health and psychosocial activities to allow inmates to cope with new environment and more in-depth research in the future.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

REFERENCES:
1. Agbakwuru, C. (2013). Psychology and health, Revised ed. Owerri: Career Publishers.
2. Andersen HS. (2004). Mental health in prison populations. A review--with special emphasis on a study of Danish prisoners on remand. Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl. 2004;(424):5-59. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2004.00436_2.x. PMID: 15447785.
3. Allen RS, Harris GM, Crowther MR, Oliver JS, Cavanaugh R, Phillips L. (2013). Does religiousness and spirituality moderate the relations between physical and mental health among aging prisoners? International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2013;28(7):710–717. doi: 10.1002/gps.3874.
4. Carr, M. (2013). The process of adjustment and coping for women in secure forensic environments [Doctoral dissertation, University of Nottingham].
5. Celinska, K., & Fanarraga, I. (2022). Female Prisoners, Mental Health, and Contact with Family and Friends. The Prison Journal, 102(3), 259–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855221095518
6. Dirkzwager AJE, Nieuwbeerta P. (2018). Mental health symptoms during imprisonment: a longitudinal study. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2018 Oct;138(4):300-311. doi: 10.1111/acps.12940. Epub 2018 Jul 12. PMID: 30003548.
7. Folkman S, Moskowitz JT. (2004). Coping: pitfalls and promise. Annu Rev Psychol. 2004; 55: 745-74.
8. Fraser A, Gatherer A, Hayton P. (2009). Mental health in prisons: great difficulties but are there opportunities? Public Health. 2009 Jun; 123(6): 410-4. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2009.04.005. Epub 2009 Jun 5. PMID: 19501377.
9. Tan SY, Yip A. Hans Selye (1907-1982): Founder of the stress theory (2018). Singapore Med J. 2018 Apr; 59(4): 170-171. doi: 10.11622/smedj.2018043. PMID: 29748693; PMCID: PMC5915631.
10. Smith MM, Saklofske DH, Keefer KV, Tremblay PF. (2016). Coping Strategies and Psychological Outcomes: The Moderating Effects of Personal Resiliency. J Psychol. 2016;150(3):318-32. doi: 10.1080/00223980.2015.1036828. Epub 2015 May 7. PMID: 25951375.
11. Khalooei A, Mashayekhi-Dowlatabad M, Rajabalipour MR, Iranpour A. Pattern of Substance Use and Related Factors in Male Prisoners. Addict Health. 2016 Fall;8(4):227-234. PMID: 28819553; PMCID: PMC5554802.
12. Kovács Z, Kun B, Griffiths MD, Demetrovics Z. (2019). A longitudinal study of adaption to prison after initial incarceration. Psychiatry Res. 2019 Mar;273:240-246. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.01.023. Epub 2019 Jan 7. PMID: 30658208.
13. Power J., Smith H., Brown Sh. (2021). The brief COPE: a factorial structure for incarcerated adults, Criminal Justice Studies, 34:2, 215-234, DOI: 10.1080/1478601X.2020.1827589.
14. Rangel Torrijo H. (2020). Education in prison: Studying through distance learning: Emma Hughes. Routledge, New York, 2016, 206 pp. ISBN 9781138246966 (pbk), ISBN 9781315578859 (eBook). Int Rev Educ. 2020;66(5-6):881–3. doi: 10.1007/s11159-020-09868-5. Epub 2021 Jan 2. PMCID: PMC7776281.
15. Reed P, Alenazi Y, Potterton F. Effect of time in prison on prisoners' use of coping strategies. Int J Prison Health. 2009; 5(1): 16-24. doi: 10.1080/17449200802692060. PMID: 25758926.
16. Solbakken, L.E., Wynn, R. (2022). Barriers and opportunities to accessing social support in the transition from community to prison: a qualitative interview study with incarcerated individuals in Northern Norway. BMC Psychol 10, 185 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00895-5
17. Luke, R. J., Daffern, M., Skues, J. L., Trounson, J. S., Pfeifer, J. E., & Ogloff, J. R. P. (2021). The Effect of Time Spent in Prison and Coping Styles on Psychological Distress in Inmates. The Prison Journal, 101(1), 60–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032885520978475.
18. NovoPsych (2023). Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE). Retrieved on 23rd September, 2023. https://novopsych.com.au/assessments/formulation/brief-cope/.
19. World Health Organization (2004). Promoting mental health: concepts, emerging evidence, practice (Summary Report) Geneva: World Health Organization; 2004.
Published
2025-07-15
How to Cite
1.
SAEED SAADI F, BAYAR KHALEEL B, GHAZI RASHEED A, ALI YASSEEN Y, ABDULKAREEM MOHAMMED H. COPING ORIENTATION TO PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED AMONG WOMEN INMATES IN ETOT REFORM CENTER, DUHOK, KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQ. Duhok Medical Journal [Internet]. 15Jul.2025 [cited 13Jun.2026];19(1):1-4. Available from: https://dmj.uod.ac/index.php/dmj/article/view/353

Most read articles by the same author(s)