Citation

Uğurlu N, Oğuzalp A, Cevirme A. J. Psychiatr. Ment. Health Nurs. 2011; 18(8): 664-670.

Affiliation

School of Health Sciences, Mugla University, Mugla; Atatürk University Medical Hospital Faculty, Erzurum; School of Health Sciences, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1365-2850.2011.01717.x

PMID

21896108

Abstract

ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY: •  Crime is a common social problem afflicting every society. Although different groups are affected, the most affected are children. The guilt of children, as contrasted with other members of society, is particularly important and significant because children are still growing and developing, and their imprisonment and feelings of guilt exert a big influence on the outcome of their future life. •  Seventy-five per cent of children released from custody re-offend within a year of their release, and 31% have a recognized mental health disorder, compared with 10% of the general population. Behavioural and mental health problems are particularly prevalent among children and young people in prison. •  The sample for this study is from Düğerek prison in Muğla, one of the cities of the Aegean region of Turkey, The sampling group was randomly chosen and consisted of 41 boys aged 15-18 from the child section of the prison. There were no girls in that section. After a one-to-one oral interview with the children, a questionnaire containing the Cornell Index, Inertial Anxiety Inventory, and demographic questions was administered. •  There was a highly positive, meaningful relationship (r: 0.771, P < 0.05) between state anxiety and trait anxiety levels. Our recommendation is that juvenile delinquents need more psychological support than their peers with normal lives, so in order to rehabilitate them the number of the psychologists should be increased in this prison.

Child crime and their feelings of guilt have special importance because of their impact on children's development and future life. In the last few years, the number of young and child criminals has increased in Turkey. The sample for this study is from Düğerek prison in Muğla, one of the cities of the Aegean region of Turkey, from 18 February 2007 to 22 February 2007. The sampling group was randomly chosen and consisted of 41 boys aged 15-18 from the child section of the prison. There were no girls in that section. After a one-to-one oral interview with the children, a questionnaire containing the Cornell Index, Inertial Anxiety Inventory and demographic questions was administered. There was a highly positive, meaningful relationship (r: 0.771, P < 0.05) between state anxiety and trait anxiety levels. Our recommendation is that juvenile delinquents need more psychological support than their peers with normal lives, so in order to rehabilitate them, the number of the psychologists should be increased in this prison.

Language: en