Abstract

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.

摘要

澳大利亚监狱人口越来越多样化，但评估心理健康干预对不同文化群体的影响的研究却很有限。本研究旨在评估短期心理教育计划对 124 名监狱人员的心理困扰、精神疾病症状、应对过程、认知融合（即对思维模式或特定想法的依恋）和躯体问题的影响. 对三个文化群体的干预效果进行了跨文化比较：文化和语言多样化（CALD；N  = 45）、澳大利亚土著（N  = 24）和英语背景（ESB；N = 55). 在不同文化群体中观察到干预结果存在一些差异。完成该计划后，ESB 参与者报告抑郁症状、回避应对、认知融合和躯体问题的水平显着降低。CALD 参与者报告说干预后躯体问题明显减少。在澳大利亚土著群体中没有发现显着差异。这些发现表明，文化背景可能会影响监狱内心理健康干预措施的有效性。因此，监狱的目标应该是提供专门的文化上适当的心理健康服务，以满足不同的需求。