Jailhouse rock: health status, patterns of use, and subjective benefits of cannabis use in a sample of inmates in Spanish prisons.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the perceived health and quality of life, perceived social support, prison life, and cannabis use among a sample of inmates in Spanish prisons. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We hosted a discussion with inmates in order to learn their reasons for using cannabis (phase 1). Then, a questionnaire was prepared specifically for this study (phase 2), containing indicators from the Catalan Health Survey and other items regarding patterns of cannabis use and life in prison. The questionnaire was administered by the authors to a sample of Catalan inmates. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A sample of 63 inmates completed the questionnaire. Cannabis was used mainly for therapeutic purposes, which can be interpreted as a coping strategy related to the stress associated with prison life. Nearly half of the subjects used cannabis as a substitute for prescription medications and illicit drugs. It was found that the only variable that predicted self-perceived health status was the number of visits inmates received. This suggests that social support is a key factor for improving the health and well-being of inmates. Cannabis use in prison seems to be related to coping with a challenging context. The benefits and risks of this practice need to be further researched.

Jailhouse rock: Estado de salud, patrones de consumo y beneficios subjetivos del uso de cannabis en una muestra de reclusos en prisiones españolas / Jailhouse rock: health status, patterns of use, and subjective benefits of cannabis use in a sample of inmates in Spanish prisons

Objetivos: Caracterizar el estado de salud percibido, la calidad de vida, apoyo social percibido, vida en prisión y uso decannabis en una muestra de reclusos españoles.Material y método: Se organizó una serie de conversaciones con los reclusos con el objetivo de conocer las motivacionesque les llevaban a consumir cannabis (fase 1). En la fase 2 del proyecto, se desarrolló un cuestionario principalmente a partir de indicadores de salud de la Encuesta Catalana de Salud. También se incluyeron otros ítems en relación a los patronesde consumo de cannabis o la vida en prisión. El cuestionario se administró por parte de los autores a población reclusa deCataluña.Resultados y discusión: Un total de 63 reclusos respondieron el cuestionario. La principal motivación para el uso de cannabis fue por razones terapéuticas, lo cual puede interpretarse como una estrategia de afrontamiento ante el estrés generado porlas condiciones en prisión. Cerca de la mitad de los sujetos informaron de utilizar el cannabis como sustituto de medicacionesde prescripción u otras drogas de abuso. Se encontró que la única variable predictora de la salud auto-percibida era el númerode visitas que los reclusos recibían. Esto sugiere que el apoyo social es un factor clave para la mejora de la salud y el bienestarde los reclusos. El uso de cannabis en prisión parece estar relacionado con el afrontamiento de un contexto desafiante. Losbeneficios y riesgos de esta práctica tendrán que evaluarse en futuros estudios. (AU)

Objectives: To assess the perceived health and quality of life, perceived social support, prison life, and cannabis use among asample inmates in Spanish prisons.Material and method: We hosted a discussion with inmates in order to learn their reasons for using cannabis (phase 1). Then,a questionnaire was developed specifically for this study (phase 2) containing indicators from the Catalan Health Survey andother items regarding patterns of cannabis use and life in prison. The questionnaire was administered by the authors to a sampleof Catalan inmates.Results and discussion: A sample of 63 inmates completed the questionnaire. Cannabis was used mainly for therapeutic purposes, which can be interpreted as a coping strategy related to the stress associated with prison life. Nearly half of the subjectsused cannabis as a substitution for prescription medications and illicit drugs. It was found that the only variable that predictedself-perceived health status was the number of visits inmates received. This suggests that social support is a key factor for improving the health and well-being of inmates. Cannabis use in prison seems to be related to coping with a challenging context.The benefits and risks of this practice need to be further researched. (AU)