SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Basketball star Brittney Griner announced Friday that she will return to play for the WNBA next year. This comes after she spent 10 months in a Russian prison known for extremely harsh conditions, and experts say she will likely face mental and physical challenges as she recovers.
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The important thing to keep in mind in Griner's situation and for others who have faced similar situations is that they have experienced serious trauma.
"The kind of deprivations, the kind of humiliations that she would have been exposed to in Russian prisons – I've been in Russian prisons," said Craig Haney, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz who studies the psychological effects of imprisonment and solitary confinement on KCBS Radio on Friday.
"I can speak to the fact that they are as severe as the press has described them," he said.
Griner will have to overcome the residual effects of that experience in the days ahead.
Fortunately, she has some advantages that most people coming out of prison don’t have, according to Haney.
"One is that she's an athlete, she’s used to being disciplined," he said. It's likely that while she was in prison she was able to maintain, as much as possible, a sort of day-to-day routine that would have required discipline.
Secondly, she has resources becoming available to her that most people don’t receive after getting out of prison.
But even with those advantages, Griner faces a tough road ahead.
"She’s going to have to adjust to the carryover effects of social anxiety that many people bring out of prison, and depression – which also typically accompanies people when they come out of prison," said Haney.
While these are significant challenges, they can be overcome, particularly with help and assistance.
"People do come out of prison and go on to lead normal, healthy, fulfilling lives," he said. "I think all of us are hopeful that that’s exactly what her story will be."
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