Depression, anxiety, and stress are extremely frequent and common among female inmates. Many studies reported that female inmates are more likely to experience psychological problems than men due to family and loved ones, especially children. Thus, this study aims to describe and interpret the frequency of female inmates' mental health conditions using a non-experimental quantitative approach. A total of 35 female inmates from one of the prisons in Malaysia were selected via purposive sampling. The data was analyzed descriptively based on the mean, frequency, and percentage. The findings revealed that most female inmates experienced depression symptoms other than anxiety and stress symptoms. Hence, this study outcome provides essential information to those involved in offering help to the inmates, especially the counselors, in formulating and planning evidence-based intervention programs to address the needs of these underserved populations.
TopIntroduction
By the 21st century, stress, depression, anxiety, and personality-related issues are often discussed in society, becoming a hot topic in the media of the time alongside electronic media. The increasingly desperate environment has caused various groups of people to be pressured to compete in continuing the struggle of life. Thus, there are a variety of attitudes and behaviours that shape the personality of different individuals. These varying individual personality differences, such as positive and negative characteristics, lead to differences in the stress level experienced by an individual. High levels of stress will lead to a negative personality that will disrupt the life functions in society, while a positive personality brings standard well-being to life. Therefore, it is appropriate to pay more focus to this problematic issue.
According to the World Health Organization (2016), depression is a type of mental disorder that negatively affects a person's feelings, thoughts, and behaviours, so they cannot function properly in their daily lives. Depression can occur for a long period or recurrently (World Health Organization, 2016). Experiences that cause a person sudden or prolonged stress can result in episodes of depression (Ahmad & Mazlan, 2011; Gunter, 2004). Past studies have shown that severe depression is one of the psychological factors leading to criminal behaviour by a woman (Ahmad & Mazlan, 2011, 2014; Muskens et al., 2011). Normah et al. (1995) reported that depression consists of several meanings from various branches of knowledge. For example, depression indicates reduced electrophysiological activity in human organs in neurophysiology. In pharmacology, depression is the effect of drugs reducing the activity of human organs. In psychology, depression is a symptom that reduces an individual's normal performance, such as slowing down psychomotor activity or reducing an individual's intellectual function. Meanwhile, in psychiatry, depression encompasses changes in the affective part that range from sadness or depression to psychotic disorders, resulting in suicidal tendencies.
Further, Spielberger (1976) defined anxiety as a process consisting of stress, threats, and anxiety states. The process runs in a sequence that starts from cognitive, affective, physiological, and behavioural, driven by a high-pressure stimulus either internally or externally. If a person perceives the stimulus as dangerous or threatening, they will become emotional for them. Then, they will experience a high state of anxiety. Additionally, stress is viewed as a state of mental and emotional pressure or strain produced by unpleasant or challenging circumstances. It can also be defined as a persistently high mental arousal and physiological tension that exceeds a person's capacity to deal with it, resulting in distress, sickness, or a greater capacity to cope (Neidhardt et al., 1990). As claimed by Lazarus et al. (1984) as cited in Berjot & Gillet (2011), stress has the potential to endanger a person's well-being because of the individual's relationship with his environment, which is demanding or pushing the person beyond his limits. Furthermore, stress can develop when a person is placed in a state or circumstance incompatible with his background and prior experiences, rendering their experiences obsolete or not applicable to counter stress in their current environment (Partyka, 2001).