Perinatal mental health services for black and ethnic minority women in prison

Abstract

Objective: To provide a synthesis of published research concerning the perinatal mental health needs of black and minority ethnic (BME) women in prison. Methods: This integrative review utilised a narrative overview design to explore available literature. Results: The search strategy identified 13 relevant papers. Out of these, six met the inclusion criteria. The results found that imprisoned women are more likely to be from a BME background. As a group, pregnant women in prison present a vulnerable obstetric risk. In addition to the universal obstacles, BME women face further challenges of overcoming ethno-cultural barriers when trying to access appropriate perinatal mental health care while in prison. Clinical implications: BME imprisoned pregnant women are clearly a high-risk obstetric group, and their numbers are increasing. Deciphering and meeting the unique perinatal mental health needs of this group of women presents a challenge to both the health-care and prison systems. Becoming aware and sensitive to these needs is the first step towards policy makers and service providers addressing them. This research will add to the limited academic field on the perinatal mental health needs of BME women in prison. These findings demonstrate that more research and attention needs to be paid to this highly vulnerable group of women.