The mental health of imprisoned mothers of young children: a follow-up study

The study aimed to determine the mental health, social outcomes and needs of mothers who had been in prison when their children were infants. The mean time between first interview and follow-up was 4.53 years. Mothers who had been in a prison mother and baby unit (MBU) were compared with women who h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of forensic psychiatry & psychology 2013-08, Vol.24 (4), p.421-439
Main Authors: Dolan, Rachel Mary, Birmingham, Luke, Mullee, Mark, Gregoire, Alain
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Babies
Biological and medical sciences
Children
Depression
follow-up
Imprisonment
Infants
Medical sciences
Mental depression
mental disorder
Mental health
Mental illness
Motherhood
Mothers
Personality disorders
prison
Prisoners
Prisons
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Separated
Social behavior disorders. Criminal behavior. Delinquency
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Summary:The study aimed to determine the mental health, social outcomes and needs of mothers who had been in prison when their children were infants. The mean time between first interview and follow-up was 4.53 years. Mothers who had been in a prison mother and baby unit (MBU) were compared with women who had been separated from infants whilst in prison. Of 167 interviewed previously, 87 were located, and 60 completed a semi-structured interview. Prevalence of depression and hazardous drinking were higher at follow-up. Those not caring for the index child at follow-up were more likely to have an interview diagnosis of personality disorder or psychotic disorder and to have been reconvicted than those who were. Seventy-seven percent of children who were in prison MBUs were being cared for by their mother at follow-up compared to 20% of those who had been separated in prison.
ISSN:1478-9949
1478-9957
DOI:10.1080/14789949.2013.818161