The aim of this study was to determine the intensity of the occurrence of stress-prone personality traits (type D) and the strategies of coping with stress in a group of people staying in Polish penitentiary institutions. This study was conducted in two penitentiary units in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. Participants consisted of 152 prisoners. In this cross-sectional study, two standardized research tools-Mini-COPE Inventory for Measurement Coping with Stress and the Type-D Scale (DS14)-were used. The presence of a stress-prone personality (type D) among persons serving a prison sentence concerned 42.11% of the respondents and did not correlate with their sex and age. The convicted persons were more often guided by 'negative affectivity' than by 'social inhibition'. People staying in penitentiary units most often used the strategy of 'active coping' and 'planning'. Types of coping strategies used by the respondents depended on their sex and the presence of type D personal characteristics. Increasing people's social awareness of the issues of stress experienced by prisoners can contribute to reducing the phenomenon of the marginalization and stigmatization of incarcerated people.
Keywords: coping strategies; mental health; prisoners; stress; type D personality.