Abstract
This study investigated the effects that a group-focused cognitive-behavioral coaching program had on depressive symptoms of a sample of inmates from Nsukka Prisons, Enugu State, Nigeria. The design of the study was pretest–posttest control group. The participants were 30 male inmates, experiencing high levels of depressive symptoms, and randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The primary outcome measure was depression symptoms as measured using Beck’s Depression Inventory. Repeated-measures ANOVA and the Mann–Whitney U Test were used for data analysis. Results show that exposing inmates to the group-focused cognitive-behavioral coaching program significantly reduced the depressive symptoms of inmates in the treatment group compared with those in the control group. Our results support the use of cognitive-behavioral coaching interventions designed to assist the severely depressed inmates in Nigeria. Further studies should be conducted both in other states of Nigeria and in other countries.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1589-1602 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- cognitive-behavioral coaching
- depression
- depressive symptoms
- prison inmates
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Applied Psychology