Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T02:53:39.520Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Heterosexual Romantic Relationships, Interpersonal Needs, and Quality of Life in Prison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Rodrigo J. Carcedo*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
Daniel Perlman
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (USA)
Félix López
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
M. Begoña Orgaz
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Rodrigo J. Carcedo. Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Universidad de Salamanca. E.U. de Magisterio de Zamora. “Campus Viriato”. Avda. Cardenal Cisneros, 24, 49022 Salamanca (Spain). E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating effect of having vs. not having a heterosexual romantic partner inside the prison on the relationship between interpersonal needs and quality of life. In-person interviews were conducted with 55 male and 64 female inmates from the Topas Penitentiary (Spain). Higher levels of social loneliness and lower levels of sexual satisfaction were associated with lower levels of quality of life. In addition, the interaction between sexual satisfaction and romantic partner status was significant. Higher levels of sexual satisfaction were associated with higher levels of quality of life only for the group without a partner. These findings support a “bad is stronger than good” principle and indicate the detrimental aspects that can be associated with not having a satisfactory sexual life while incarcerated.

El objetivo de estudio era investigar el efector moderador del hecho de tener una pareja heterosexual dentro de prisión vs. no tenerla sobre la relación entre las necesidades interpersonales y la calidad de vida. Se llevaron a cabo entrevistas personales con 55 presos varones y 64 mujeres del Centro Penitenciario de Topas (España). Niveles altos de soledad social y niveles bajos de satisfacción sexual se asociaron con niveles más bajos de calidad de vida. Asimismo, la interacción entre la satisfacción sexual y el estado de pareja fue significativa. Niveles más altos de satisfacción sexual se asociaron con niveles más altos de calidad de vida tan sólo en el grupo sin pareja. Estos hallazgos resaltan la importancia de permitir a los internos tener relaciones de pareja heterosexuales dentro de la misma prisión, así como favorecer el que puedan tener una vida sexual satisfactoria durante el tiempo que están encarcelados.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5, 323370. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//1089-2680.5.4.323CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beach, S. R., Fincham, F. D., Katz, J., & Bradbury, T. N. (1996). Social support in marriage: A cognitive perspective. In Pierce, G. R., Sarason, B. R., & Sarason, I. G. (Eds.), Handbook of Social Support and the Family (pp. 4365). New York, NY: Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biggam, F. H., & Power, K. G. (1997). Social support and psychological distress in a group of incarcerated young offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 41, 213230. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0306624X97413002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brehm, J. W. (1966). A theory of psychological reactance. New York, NY: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Cantor, M. H. (1979). Neighbors and friends: An overlooked resource in the informal support system. Research on Aging, 1, 434463. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/016402757914002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carcedo, R. J. (2005). Necesidades sociales, emocionales y sexuales. Estudio en un centro penitenciario [Social, emotional and sexual needs. Study in a penitentiary]. Salamanca, Spain: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Salamanca.Google Scholar
Carcedo, R. J., López, F., Orgaz, M. B., Toth, K., & Fernández-Rouco, N. (2008). Men and women in the same prison: Interpersonal needs and psychological health of prison inmates. International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative Criminology, 52, 641657. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0306624X07311596CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carcedo, R. J., Perlman, D., Orgaz, M. B., López, F., Fernández-Rouco, N., & Faldowski, R. (2011). Heterosexual romantic relationships inside of prison: Partner status as predictor of loneliness, sexual satisfaction, and quality of life. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 55, 898924. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0306624X10373593CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.Google Scholar
Cooke, D., Baldwin, P., & Howison, J. (1990). Psychology in prisons. London, England: Routlegde. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203423356Google Scholar
Demir, M., & Tyrell, F. (2008, July). Friendship and well-being among young adults with/out a romantic partner. Poster presented at the International Association of Relationship Research Conference. Providence, RI.Google Scholar
DiTommaso, E., & Spinner, B. (1997). Social an emotional loneliness: A re-examination of Weiss' typology of loneliness. Personality and Individual Differences, 22, 417427. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(96)00204-8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiTommaso, E., Brannen, C., & Best, L. A. (2004). Measurement and validity characteristics of the short version of the social and emotional loneliness scale for adults. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 64, 99119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013164403258450CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dodge, M., & Pogrebin, M. R. (2001). Collateral costs of imprisonment for women: Complications of reintegration. The Prison Journal, 81, 4254. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0032885501081001004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fishman, L. T. (1988). Prisoners and their wives: Marital and domestic effects of telephone contacts and home visits. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 32, 5566. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0306624X8803200108CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuller, L. G. (1993). Visitors to women's prisons in California: An exploratory study. Federal Probation, 57(4), 4147.Google Scholar
Gendreau, P., Little, T., & Goggin, C. (1996). A meta-analysis of the predictors of adult offender recidivism: What works! Criminology, 34, 575608. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1996.tb01220.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodman, L. A. (1961). “Snowball sampling”. Annals of Mathe matical Statistics, 32, 148170. http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/aoms/1177705148CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, A. F., & Matthes, J. (2009). Computational procedures for probing interactions in OLS and logistic regression: SPSS and SAS implementations. Behavior Research Methods, 41, 924936. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.3.924CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. (1994). Attachment as an organizational framework for research on close relationships. Psychological Inquiry, 5, 122. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0501_1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
International Center for Prison Studies (2008). International profile of women's prisons. London, England: Author.Google Scholar
Jaccard, J., & Turrisi, R. (2003). Interaction effects in multiple regression. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, D. J., & Glaze, L. E. (2006). Mental health problems of prison and jail inmates Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. Retrieved from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/mhppji.pdfGoogle Scholar
Jiang, S., & Winfree, L. T. Jr., (2006). Social support, gender, and inmate adjustment to prison life: Insights from a national sample. The Prison Journal, 86, 3255. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0032885505283876CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koscheski, M., Hensley, C., Wright, J., & Tewksbury, R. (2002). Consensual sexual behavior. In Hensley, C. (Ed.), Prison sex: Practice and policy (pp. 111131). London, England: Lynne Rienner.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levenson, L. (1983). Sexual attitudes of males in a protected environment. Journal of the American Society of Psychosomatic Dentistry & Medicine, 30, 135136.Google Scholar
Lin, N., Dean, A., & Ensel, W. (1986). Social support, life events, and depression. Orlando, FL: Academic Press, Inc.Google Scholar
Lindquist, C. H. (2000). Social integration and mental well-being among jail inmates. Sociological Forum, 15, 431455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindquist, C. H., & Lindquist, C. A. (1997). Gender differences in distress: Mental health consequences of environmental stress among jail inmates. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 15, 503523. http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-0798(199723/09)15:4<503::AID-BSL281>3.0.CO;2-H3.0.CO;2-H>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
López, F. (1993). El apego a lo largo del ciclo vital [Attachment through the life-span]. In Ortiz, M. J. & Yarnoz, S. (Eds.), Teoría del apego y relaciones afectivas [Attachment theory and affective relationships] (pp. 1162). Bilbao, Spain: Servicio Editorial de la Universidad del País Vasco.Google Scholar
López, F. (1997). Afecto y sexualidad [Affection and sexuality]. In Gómez-Zapiain, J. (Ed.), Avances en sexología [Advances in sexology] (pp. 2362). Bilbao, Spain: Servicio Editorial de la Universidad del País Vasco.Google Scholar
López, F. (2008). Necesidades en la infancia y en la adolescencia: Respuesta familiar, escolar y social [Needs in childhood and adolescence: Family, school, and social response]. Madrid, Spain: Pirámide.Google Scholar
Lucas, R. (1998). Versión española del WHOQOL [Spanish version of the WHOQOL]. Madrid, Spain: Ergon.Google Scholar
Maeve, M. K. (1999). The social construction of love and sexuality in a woman's prison. Advances in Nursing Science, 21(3), 4665.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manzanos, C., & Balmaseda, J. M. (2003). Situación de las Mujeres en las Cárceles del País Vasco [Women's situation in Vasque Country prisons]. Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain: Servicio Central de Publicaciones del Gobierno Vasco.Google Scholar
Marsh, R. L. (1983). Services for families: A model project to provide services for families of prisoners. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 27(2), 156162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0306624X8302700208CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neuman, E. (1982). El problema sexual en las cárceles [The sexual problem in prisons]. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Editorial Universidad.Google Scholar
Pearlin, L. I. (1989). The sociological study of stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 30, 241256. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2136956CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pinquart, M. (2003). Loneliness in married, widowed, divorced, and never-married older adults. Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, 20, 3153. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/02654075030201002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Proulx, C. M., Helms, H. M., & Buehler, C. (2007). Marital quality and personal well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage & Family, 69, 576593. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00393.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quaker Council for European Affairs (2007). Women in prison: A Review of the conditions in member states of the Council of Europe. Brussels, Belgium: Author.Google Scholar
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 6878. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sack, W. H. (1977). Children of imprisoned fathers. Psychiatry: Journal for the Study of Interpersonal Processes, 40, 163174.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sarason, B. R., Sarason, I. G., & Pierce, G. R. (1990). Social support: An interactional view. New York, NY: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Snell, W. E. (1995). The Multidimensional Self-Concept Questionnaire. In Davis, C. M., Yarber, W. L., Bauserman, R., Schreer, G. E., & Davis, S. L. (Eds.), Handbook of sexuality-related measures (pp. 521524). London, England: Sage.Google Scholar
Toch, H. (1977). Living in prison: The Ecolology of survival. New York, NY: Free Press.Google Scholar
Turner, R. J., Lloyd, D. A., & Wheaton, B. (1995). The epidemiology of social stresss. American Sociological Review, 60, 104125. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2096348CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, E. M., Salisbury, E. J., & Van Voorhis, P. (2007). Predicting the prison misconducts of women offenders: The importance of gender-responsive needs. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 23, 310340. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1043986207309595CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zamble, E., & Porporino, F. J. (1988). Coping, behaviour and adaptation in prisons. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar