en عمومى General Orginal Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">The transition into prison is a disruptive life event marked by emotional distress, uncertainty, and loss of autonomy. Identifying psychosocial factors that influence early adjustment is essential for effective correctional mental health interventions. This study examined the relationships among personality traits, family functioning, and religiosity in newly admitted prisoners, with emphasis on the mediating role of religiosity in psychological adjustment. A cross sectional quantitative study was conducted at Shiraz Central Prison in late 2024 with 44 newly admitted inmates selected through purposive sampling. Assessments included personality traits based on the Five Factor Model, family functioning derived from the McMaster model, and religiosity across belief, ritualistic, and consequential dimensions. Mental health was assessed through indicators of depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and social dysfunction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and structural equation modeling to examine direct and indirect relationships among variables. Personality traits significantly influenced early psychological adjustment. Neuroticism showed a negative effect on mental health (&beta; = &minus;0.16), while conscientiousness had a positive effect (&beta; = 0.19). Ritualistic and consequential religiosity were positively associated with mental health (&beta; = 0.15). Religiosity also functioned as a mediating mechanism linking personality traits to mental health outcomes, suggesting that greater spiritual engagement may buffer psychological distress. The structural model showed acceptable fit indices. Personality traits, family context, and religiosity influence the mental health of newly admitted prisoners. Religiosity may serve as a psychological resource that supports coping and emotional regulation during early incarceration.</span></span></div> Mental health, Prisoners, Personality traits, Family functioning, Religiosity, Structural equation modeling 10 20 http://jrhms.thums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-217-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Masoumeh Hamidi 10031947532846002338 10031947532846002338 No Department of Psychology, Arsanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arsanjan, Iran Sadrollah Khosravi 10031947532846002339 10031947532846002339 Yes Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Zand Institute of higher Education, Shiraz, Iran Mahbobeh Chinaveh 10031947532846002340 10031947532846002340 No Department of Psychology, Pishtazan Higher Education Institute, Shiraz, Iran