Mother–infant separations in prison. A systematic attachment-focused review of the academic and grey literature

Powell, Claire; Ciclitira, Karen; Marzano, Lisa

doi:10.1080/14789949.2017.1324580

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The effectiveness of short prison sentences has been debated as they are less effective at reducing reoffending when compared with suspended or community sentences (O’Donnell, 2020; Gascón, 2020). Indeed, the prison has a negative impact on women in the context of mothering, homelessness and employment (O’Malley and Devaney, 2016; Powell et al , 2017; Prison Reform Trust, 2021) and with only two women’s prisons in Ireland and 12 in the UK, many women are detained far from home, impacting on the visitation of children and families (Irish Prison Service, 2021; Ministry of Justice, 2021a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s experiences of prison-based mental healthcare: a systematic review of qualitative literature

Bright

Higgins

Grealish

2022

IJPH

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Purpose The rate of female committals to prison has grown rapidly in recent years. Women in prison are likely to have trauma histories and difficulties with their mental health. This paper aims to synthesise the findings of qualitative literature to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of women in the context of prison-based mental health care. Design/methodology/approach A systematic search of five academic databases, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Psychological Information Database (PsycINFO), Excerpta Medica DataBASE (EMBASE) and Medline, was completed in December 2020. This study’s search strategy identified 4,615 citations, and seven studies were included for review. Thomas and Harden’s (2008) framework for thematic synthesis was used to analyse data. Quality appraisal was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist for Qualitative Research (Lockwood et al., 2015). Findings Four analytic themes were identified that detail women’s experiences of prison-based mental health care: the type of services accessed and challenges encountered; a reduction in capacity to self-manage mental well-being; the erosion of privacy and dignity; and strained relationships with prison staff. There is a paucity of research conducted with women in the context of prison-based mental health care. The findings suggest there is a need for greater mental health support, including the need to enhance relationships between women and prison staff to promote positive mental health. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review conducted on the experiences of women in the context of prison-based mental health care.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s experiences of prison-based mental healthcare: a systematic review of qualitative literature

Bright

Higgins

Grealish

2022

IJPH

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“…Estudos observacionais da díade mãe-bebê caracterizam, assim, as interações, a reciprocidade e a sincronia que devem ser tidas como fatores importantes para a obtenção de autonomia da criança e da sua independência no futuro. Deste modo, as interações entre mães e bebês auxiliam nos processos psicossociais das crianças e organização de identidade (Kreutz, 2001;Kluczniok et al, 2016;Ledel, Razera, Haack, & Falcke, 2018;Powell, Marzano & Ciclitira, 2017). Outrossim, conforme a teoria de Bowlby, os ambientes são essenciais para o estabelecimento de vínculos afetivos entre mães e crianças, de modo que se não há um local em que nem a mãe e a criança se sintam seguras, essa relação pode não ser estabelecida de maneira considerada adequada para o desenvolvimento (Gomes & Marchiori, 2012;Powell, Marzano, & Ciclitira, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Interação Mãe-Bebê no Ambiente Prisional

Santos

Sezaro

Portes

et al. 2021

RPI

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A penitenciária é um contexto atípico para o desenvolvimento infantil, portanto é possível que as interações entre a díade mãe-bebê sofram interferências das características desse ambiente. Com objetivo de identificar e compreender as interações entre bebês e mães encarceradas, essa pesquisa contou com o uso da metodologia observacional. Após o levantamento de dados sociodemográficos, foram observadas as interações entre mães e bebês no contexto carcerário, durante 20 minutos em três dias diferentes. Observou-se quatro díades mãe-bebês. As crianças tinham entre zero a sete meses de idade. As interações foram gravadas em áudio e vídeo e analisadas com base em um protocolo de categorias previamente estabelecidas, conforme a literatura. Os comportamentos da mãe, com maior frequência, foram olhar e embalar, enquanto que os dos bebês foram vocalizar e ficar irrequieto. Tais resultados evidenciam um compartilhamento recíproco de atenção e afeto entre as díades. Contudo, observa-se a ausência de comportamentos de interação essenciais para o desenvolvimento na primeira infância, como a estimulação por objetos. Indica-se a necessidade de atividades de orientação sobre as formas de promoção de desenvolvimento saudável.

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“…As part of a larger research project focusing on imprisoned women separated from their infants (see Powell et al, 2017a;Powell et al, 2017b, Powell, 2018, we investigated the views of prison staff who support mothers separated from their children in prison, because there is such a significant gap in the literature that translates into a lack of support for staff. As there is provision for some women to stay in prison with their children aged under 18 months, our focus was on staff who had supported mothers separated from children aged under two years, as this would include separations following an MBU stay.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overwhelmed and powerless: staff perspectives on mother – infant separations in English prisons

Powell

Ciclitira

Marzano

2020

JCP

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Purpose Imprisoned mothers are at increased risk for poor psychological health and psychological distress when separated from their children, so staff need to be highly skilled to support the women. However, there is a paucity of research focusing on staff experiences around sensitive issues such as mother–child separation. This study aims to understand the challenges faced by staff and how these might be addressed. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative interview study explored the views and experiences of 24 prison-based staff in England working with female prisoners separated from their infants. Findings Staff emphasised the challenges of working with separated mothers, specifically the emotional impact of this work, and the impact of the wider criminal justice system on their sense of agency. Originality/value A focus on the experience of separation highlights the broader problem of incarcerating women in general. Reducing the number of mother–child separations would mitigate the impact on both women and staff.

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Mother–infant separations in prison. A systematic attachment-focused review of the academic and grey literature

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

Women’s experiences of prison-based mental healthcare: a systematic review of qualitative literature

Women’s experiences of prison-based mental healthcare: a systematic review of qualitative literature

Interação Mãe-Bebê no Ambiente Prisional

Overwhelmed and powerless: staff perspectives on mother – infant separations in English prisons

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