REHABILITATION THROUGH PAROLE SYSTEM IN MALAYSIA: THE ROLE OF OPTIMISM AS MEDIATING VARIABLE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-EFFICACY AND RESILIENCE

Wan Shahrazad Wan Sulaiman, Fauziah Ibrahim, Mohamad Suhaimi Mohd, Salina Nen, Norulhuda Sarnon, Khadijah Alavi

Abstract


Identifying the personal characteristics of parolees that can reduce the likelihood of committing crimes is a great challenge to prison officers in order to ensure that rehabilitation process is handled successfully. The changes recommended to prisoners under parole are to increase their self-efficacy, developing optimism and maintaining a high level of resilience. This study employs a cross-sectional survey research design. A total of 280 prisoners undergoing parole monitoring were recruited as respondents. A set of questionnaire was used consisting of the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Positive Thinking Rating Scale and a self-developed resilience scale. Results showed that there were significant correlations between self-efficacy, optimism and resilience. Further, findings indicated that optimism partially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and resilience. Implications are discussed in the context of preventing recidivism among parolees and strategies to increase effectiveness of rehabilitation in the parole system.


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