Personality traits and problem solving ability among mentally ill offenders

Background: Mental illness usually comes to notice because of the violation of social expectation and rules. Many mentally disordered offenders processed by the courts receive prison sentences. Mentally ill offenders have significant deficits in problem solving, emotional control, social skills, and behaviour regulation. Aim: Present study aims to assess personality traits and problem solving abilities among mentally ill offenders. Method: Thirty mentally ill offenders who have been referred from various prisons to a psychiatric institute have been included purposively as a sample of study. Semi-structured interview schedule along with 16 Personality Factor (16 PF) and Problem Solving Inventory were used for data collection. Result: Findings suggest that mentally ill offenders have personality traits of emotional instability, assertiveness, impulsivity, restrained, expedient, and suspicious behaviour, and they are more apprehensive, experimenting followed by following self-image and tensed personality.