Social support and psychological distress in a group of incarcerated young offenders

Using Power, Champion, and Aris's Significant Others Scale, the present study examined the function and structure of social support in a group of incarcerated young offenders. Support across nine key relationships from both outside and inside the prison were examined. The study aimed to examine social support as a key variable in coping with incarceration. Furthermore, the study examined the role that social support plays in the experience of self-reported psychological distress (anxiety depression, and hopelessness) while incarcerated. The importance of prison relationships-with a close friend and members of prison staff in the experience of psychological distress-was highlighted where distressed inmates were more likely to report discrepancies in the actual/ideal levels of both emotional and practical support. Regression analyses highlighted the importance of relationships with the staff as predictors of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.