Objective: To evaluate the family functionality of persons deprived of liberty in three penitentiary centers in Risaralda, Colombia. Methods: Cross-sectional study in one women’s prison – Dosquebradas – and two men’s prisons, Santa Rosa and Pereira. A random sample, stratified by gender, was calculated with a confidence level of 95%, for a precision of 5%. The FACES III instrument was applied after obtaining informed consent. Results: The participants ranged from 18 to 74 years of age, with an average age of 36. The average age was 36 years, with a standard deviation (SD) of 12 years. The highest obtained education level was 15 years, and the average was 6 years (SD 3 years). Length of incarceration in the penal institution varied between 1 and 15 years, with an average permanence of 8 years. According to the Olson Model, the 262 persons deprived of freedom who participated in the study belonged to the following type of families: 123 (46.9%) to balanced families, 96 (36.6%) to mid-range families, and 43 (16.4%) to extreme families. The cohesion evaluation found that 37.8% of the families were disengaged and/or enmeshed, and in terms of adaptability, 31.7% of the families were characterized as rigid or chaotic. There were no statistically significant differences by sex, except for the adaptability results. Discussion: In concordance with past research, the study population was young, with a low level of education and from low socioeconomic levels. While the Calarca (Quindío) study detected a higher degree of family functionality, that study used the familiar Apgar instrument. Conclusions: It is important to work with governmental agencies to strengthen relationships between people deprived of liberty and their families. As a part of this process, new security measures in penitentiaries should be considered, in order to facilitate improved quality of life and family satisfaction.
Keywords:
family relations, family functionality, people deprived of liberty, family development
Author Biographies
C. L. Betancur-Pulgarín, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira
Magíster en Enfermería, especialista en Epidemiología. Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira
G. A. Moreno-Gómez, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira
Ph.D. en Salud Pública. Magíster en Epidemiología clínica. Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira
Betancur-Pulgarín, C. L., Castrillón-Betancur, D. M., & Moreno-Gómez, G. A. (2018). Family functionality in families of persons deprived of liberty in the Risaralda region of Colombia. Revista Chilena De Salud Pública, 22(1), p. 9–20. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-5281.2018.51802
