title: Cognitive function is associated with prison behaviour among women in prison but not with subjective perception of adjustment to prison.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is considerable evidence that aspects of cognitive function, especially executive function, are associated with antisocial behaviour and violence, but most research to date has measured current cognition and previous criminal behaviour. Furthermore, this research has been conducted almost exclusively with male offenders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to examine relationships between a wide range of cognitive functions and behaviours among women in prison. Our hypotheses were that cognitive functioning would be associated with both more-or-less contemporaneously observed behaviour problems and self-rated adjustment to the environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five drug-free imprisoned female offenders were individually assessed on a battery of cognitive measures. Prison staff rated their behaviour on the Prison Behaviour Rating Scale and the women rated their own sense of adjustment to the environment on the Prison Adjustment Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stepwise hierarchical regressions indicated that attention was independently associated with behaviours reflecting tension, depression, isolation, fear, victimisation and worry, whereas processing speed was independently associated with behaviours reflecting lack of energy, mental slowness and lack of awareness of the surrounding environment and total Prison Adjustment Questionnaire score. There was no relationship between cognitive functioning and subjective perception of adjustment to prison.
  Results indicate that cognition contributes to some of the behavioural problems displayed by inmates in the prison context. Future studies should evaluate the role of programmes to improve cognitive processes in also improving prison behaviour and also test for continuities and discontinuities with post-release integrative success.
authors.affiliation: Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.|Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Nuno B F
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
authors.forename: Duarte A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Estabelecimento Prisional Especial de Santa Cruz do Bispo, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Alina B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal.
authors.forename: Susana A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social Science, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Peter N S
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Hoaken
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D010465:Perception; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011330:Prisons; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology