Adaptive Potential and Meaningfulness of Life among First-Time Convicts Differing in Age and Sentence Terms
Tsvetkova N.A. Adaptive potential and meaningfulness of life among firsttime convicts differing in age and sentence terms. Penitentiary Science, 2025, vol. 19, no. 4 (72), pp. 441–449. doi 10.46741/2686-9764.2025.72.4.012.
the article presents results of the empirical study of adaptive personal potential and
meaningfulness of life covered 127 first-time convicted men serving sentences in the high-security
correctional facility. They were divided into 3 age groups: 21–34 years old (57 people); 35–44 years
old (40 people); 45 years and over (30 people); 3 groups by sentence terms: up to 5 years; from 6 to
10 years; more than 10 years. The reliability and significance of intergroup differences in ages and
terms of punishment were determined at the level of p < 0.0001. Purpose: to test the hypothesis of
the existence of intergroup differences in the indicators of adaptability and meaningfulness of life
of newly convicted men serving sentences in high-security correctional institutions and the relationship
of these integrative personality characteristics with age and term of punishment. Methods:
multilevel personality questionnaire “Adaptability” by A.G. Maklakov and S.V. Chermyanin; test of life
orientations by D.A. Leont’ev; methods of mathematical and statistical data processing: comparative
analysis, Kruskal – Wallis test, Spearman’s Rank Correlation Analysis. Results: groups of convicts
who significantly differ in age are similar in terms of adaptive potential and meaningfulness of
life (no significant intergroup differences were found); groups of convicts who significantly differ in
terms of sentence are similar in terms of adaptive potential and meaningfulness of life (no significant
intergroup differences were found). The indicators of adaptability and meaningfulness of life of male
convicts serving sentences in the high-security correctional facility do not have close links with their
age and criminal record, with the exception of matching the term of punishment with the indicator of
the locus of control-I at the level of р < 0.05. There is a directly proportional and close consistency
between all indicators of adaptability and meaningfulness of life. Conclusion: although the hypothesis
put forward at the beginning of the study was not confirmed, however, a directly proportional
and close relationship between all indicators of adaptive potential and the meaningfulness of life
was found.
Keywords: correctional facilities; male convicts; personal adaptive potential; meaningfulness of life; meaningful life orientations; intergroup comparative analysis; differences related to age; differences related to the term of sentence.
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