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Overall quality of life and emotional regulation among inmates: A narrative review.

Kalliopi Megari,Eleana Argyriadou,V. Yotsidi

Published 2026 in Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences

ABSTRACT

Although there is a plethora of studies related to quality of life (QoL), little is known about QoL in prison settings. Emotions and difficulties in emotional regulation in incarcerated individuals may affect inmates' QoL and also their ability to reintegrate into society. The purpose of this review was to compile the empirical evidence and identify knowledge gaps to make suggestions for enhancing QoL in correctional environments. This narrative review includes research published between 2014 and 2024 in PubMed, Google Scholar, EBSCO, and Embase on inmates' QoL, emotion regulation, and mental health. Research on forensic patients as well as non-English articles was excluded. Emotions and emotion regulation were interlinked with mental health issues, while social support was the most eminent feature promoting overall QoL in prisoners, along with other systemic and environmental aspects. Our narrative review suggests that the research to date is limited, focused on male and young inmates, and based on self-reported cross-sectional data. From a public health perspective, identifying the impact of emotions and mental health in the prison population could help improve the QoL of prisoners and inform research, rehabilitation programs, and correctional policy.

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