Abstract
BackgroundImprisonment may lead to the development of mental illness, especially depression. This study examines the clinical and sociodemographic profiles of imprisoned women, identifies indicative signs of depression, and relates these indicators to other variables.MethodsThis study took the form of descriptive exploratory research with a psychometric evaluation. A total of 100 of 300 women in a female penitentiary were interviewed. A questionnaire with sociodemographic, clinical and penal situation information was used, along with the Beck Depression Inventory. The authors performed bivariate and multivariate analysis regarding depression.ResultsIn all, 82 women presented signs of depression (light = 33, mild = 29 and severe = 20). Comorbidities, lack of religious practice, absence of visitors and presence of eating disorders were risk factors for depression (P = 0.03, 0.03, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.01). Being older was a protection factor against severe depression; for women over 30, the risk of depression was multiplied by 0.12. The rate of depression among women prisoners was high.ConclusionsComorbidities, the lack of religious practice, not having visitors and eating disorders are significant risk factors for depression, while age is a protective factor, among incarcerated women.
Highlights
The prison population, especially the female sector, grows every day
This study identifies the clinical, sociodemographic and penal profile of women in a prison unit of the State of São Paulo, and evaluates possible associations of these variables to indicators of depression
Depression and the variables The results demonstrated that among the 100 women interviewed, 82 presented indicative signs of depression, and 20 of them were considered severe
Summary
The prison population, especially the female sector, grows every day. Data from the Brazilian National Penitentiary Department shows that in 2005 the prison system population in the State of São Paulo was 120,601 with 3,903 women, and in 2008, it was 145,096 with 6,520 women. Epidemiological studies have shown gender differences in the occurrence, prevalence and course of mental behavior issues and disorders. The prevalence ratio for women has varied from 1.5 to 3.0, reaching an average female to male ratio of 2:1 [4,5,6,7]. Imprisonment may lead to the development of mental illness, especially depression. This study examines the clinical and sociodemographic profiles of imprisoned women, identifies indicative signs of depression, and relates these indicators to other variables
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