This study aimed to determine the mental health status, various stressors experienced as well as the coping strategies employed by a group of 312 inmates in Ipil District Jail. A descriptive cross-sectional design using administered questionnaires was used. The Correctional Mental Health Screen for Men and Women (CMHS-M and CMHS-W) was adapted to determine the mental health status of inmates. There were 231 (74%) inmates found to have normal mental health while 81 (25%) were identified as warranting referral for professional help. Family issues, specifically separation from and worries about loved ones, were the most common mental stressor among inmates, followed by prison overcrowding. Praying, spiritual enlightenment and activities such as exercising, working, reading, listening to music, watching television, cooking, cleaning, sleeping, making handicrafts, drawing, and studying were the common coping mechanisms employed. Predominantly, the inmates though faced with various stressors, were able to cope well with the realities of incarcerated life. The inmates’ flexibility to their stressors marks their risk for having mental health problems either in a positive or negative way.

Keyword: Mental health status and coping mechanisms Inmates