Reconceptualizing Prison Adjustment: A Multidimensional Approach Exploring Female Offenders' Adjustment to Prison Life

Prison adjustment research has often relied on unidimensional measurement approaches. However, examining immediate adjustment to the prison environment without considering longer term reintegration back into society is theoretically and pragmatically limited. The purpose of this study was to broaden the definition of adjustment to prison, suggesting that it is a multidimensional construct. Furthermore, different types of adjusters were expected based on the multifaceted nature of the adjustment process. The identification of distinct adjuster types supports the conceptualization of adjustment as a multidimensional concept.