The Effect of Twelve-Week Recreation Activities on the Anxiety Level of Female Prisoners

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of twelve-weeks recreation activities on the trait anxiety level of female prisoners in the prisons. The sampling of this study consists of 45 female prisoners who are in the Open Prison in Kandira, 22 of whom are in the experimental group and 23 of whom are in the control group. Different activities, such as music, dance, meditation, sportive activities, movies and videos, fun and entertainment activities and competitions, were performed one and half hours a day and two days a week. This lasted for twelve weeks. The data were collected by pre-tests and post-tests that were given both at the beginning and at the end of this program. Personal information form and Spielberger anxiety inventory were used as the data collecting tool. The reliability coefficient (Cronbach Alpha) was calculated as ,873. The data were analysed with SPSS Windows 18 programme. Descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon test were conducted. A significant statistical correlation was determined between the prisoners’ pre-tests and posttests scores in the experimental group (p <0.05). As conclusion, a positive impact on trait anxiety levels of prisoners was found after 12 weeks of recreational activities.