The Impact of a Short-Term Mental Health Intervention Delivered in an Australian Prison: A Multi-Cultural Comparison

The Australian prison population is increasingly diverse, yet there is limited research assessing the impact of mental health interventions across culturally diverse groups. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a short-term psycho-educational program on psychological distress, symptoms of ment...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of forensic mental health 2023-01, Vol.22 (1), p.14-25
Main Authors: Ogloff, James R. P., Rose, Arran, Meyer, Denny, Benson, Sarah, Shepherd, Stephane M., Pfeifer, Jeff, Louise, Stephanie, Trounson, Justin, Skues, Jason, Daffern, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cognitive ability
Cross cultural studies
cross-cultural or multicultural prison populations
Cultural groups
Health promotion
Health services
Intervention
Mental disorders
Mental health
Mental health care
mental health intervention or program
Prisoners
Prisons
Psychological stress
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Summary:The Australian prison population is increasingly diverse, yet there is limited research assessing the impact of mental health interventions across culturally diverse groups. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a short-term psycho-educational program on psychological distress, symptoms of mental illness, coping processes, cognitive fusion (i.e., attachment to patterns of thinking or specific thoughts) and somatic issues for 124 people in prison. Cross-cultural comparisons for intervention effects were made for three cultural groups: culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD; N = 45), Indigenous Australian (N = 24) and English-speaking background (ESB; N = 55). Several differences in intervention outcomes were observed across the cultural groups. Following completion of the program, ESB participants reported significantly reduced levels of depressive symptoms, avoidance coping, cognitive fusion and somatic issues. CALD participants reported significantly reduced somatic issues post-intervention. No significant differences were found in the Indigenous Australian group. These findings indicate that cultural background may influence the effectiveness of mental health interventions delivered within prisons. As such, prisons should aim to offer specialized culturally appropriate mental health services to meet diverse needs.
ISSN:1499-9013
1932-9903
DOI:10.1080/14999013.2022.2041772