Stress, depression and coping mechanisms among Prisoners in Uganda

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether there is a significant relationship between stress, depression and coping mechanisms among prisoners in Kitalya Min-Max security prison. The study further sought to ascertain the type of correlation, if any, between stress, depression and coping mechanisms. Three major theories guided the study namely; Cognitive appraisal theory of stress, Learned helplessness theory of depression and, Lazarus and Folkman theory of coping. In this study, a correlational research design was used in analyzing, interpreting and presenting the information. The study focused on three main variables namely stress, depression and coping mechanisms. A quantitative data collection method was used together with convenience sampling technique. The SPSS software (version 22.0) was used for data analysis and inter variable testing. In terms of data presentation, figures and tables were used extensively. The study sought to establish whether there is a significant relationship between stress and depression. The results indicated that there is significant correlation between stress and depression. To this end, it was deduced that high levels of stress symptoms among the prisoners corresponds to high levels of depressive symptoms. The study also sought to find out whether there is significant correlation between stress and coping mechanism. The results indicated that there is positive significant correlation between stress and coping mechanism. The aforementioned findings suggest that while there may be an increase in one variable such as stress, there is another increase in the other variable (coping mechanisms). Lastly, the study aimed to establish whether there is significant correlation between depression and coping mechanism. The findings revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between depression and coping mechanism. The study concludes that there is a significant relationship between all three variables namely; stress, depression and coping mechanism, among prisoners in Uganda. However, the study acknowledges that there are instances where depression can occur in the absence of stress owing to genetic predispositions and early childhood experiences among different individuals.