This article investigates the prevalence of traumatization and mental distress
in a sample of 1055 male European long-term prisoners as part of a wider study
of the living conditions of prisoners serving sentences of at least five years
in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania,
Poland, Spain and Sweden. Data were collected in a written survey using the
Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) as
well as questions on attempted suicide and auto-aggressive behaviour.
Participants experienced a mean of three traumatic events, with 14 per cent
developing a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) subsequently. In each
national sample, more than 50 per cent of the participants were in need of
treatment because of psychological symptoms and nearly one-third had attempted
suicide
