ArticleHealth & justice2022
Navigating pregnancy and early motherhood in prison: a thematic analysis of mothers' experiences.
Article in Health & justice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Maternal Experiences of Stressful Life Events and Its Association With Teenage Pregnancy and Preterm Birth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2026Pooled it
- Reproductive health needs of incarcerated women in developed countries: a mixed-method systematic review.European journal of medical research · 2025Pooled it
- Mental Disorders Among Mothers in Contact with the Criminal Justice System: A Scoping Review and Meta-analysis.Community mental health journal · 2024Pooled it
- "Will they know who I am?": Contact between incarcerated mothers and their infants.Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) · 2026Article
- Obstetric Violence Against Female Prisoners in Spain: Experiences and Violations of Rights.Journal of pregnancy · 2026Article
- The Motherhood Experiences of Women Incarcerated at the Johannesburg Maximum Correctional Facility, in the Gauteng Province, South Africa.International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology · 2025Article
- Sexual and reproductive health needs of incarcerated women in Iran.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Are custodial-based mothers and children's units evaluated, effective and aligned with a human rights-based approach? - A systematic review of the evidence.EClinicalMedicine · 2024Article
- Motherhood Experiences of Incarcerated Pregnant Women: A Phenomenological Study.International journal of community based nursing and midwifery · 2023Article
- Identifying and Treating Incarcerated Women Experiencing Substance Use Disorders: A Review.Substance abuse and rehabilitation · 2023Review
- Health problems and adversities experienced by incarcerated mothers: Use of a life events calendar.Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMaternal imprisonment negatively impacts mothers and their children and is likely to have lifelong and intergenerational sequelae. In many jurisdictions nationally and internationally, young children (usually those less than 5 years) can reside with their mothers in prison. However, there is considerable debate regarding the impact of prison environments on incarcerated mothers and their children who are born, and/or raised in prison. Research to date on the pregnancy and mothering experiences of imprisoned mothers and their preferences for care arrangements for their babies and young children is limited.
methodsThis study was part of the Transforming Corrections to Transform Lives project, in which workshops were conducted with imprisoned mothers to understand their needs while in custody and post-release, and the kind of supports and system changes that are required to meet those needs. Incarcerated mothers (n = 75) participated in seven workshops conducted across four Queensland prisons. Themes were generated through reflexive thematic analysis.
resultsThree themes characterised mothers' experiences of being pregnant and undertaking a mothering role of a young child while in prison. First, for most mothers, imprisonment adds vulnerability and isolation during pregnancy and childbirth. Second, although mothers felt that residing together with their children in prison motivated them to change for a better future, they were concerned about the potential negative impact of the prison environment on the child's development. Lastly, most mothers voiced losing autonomy and agency to practice motherhood independently within custodial settings. Mothers expressed a need for the correctional system to be adapted, so it is better equipped to address the unique and additional needs of mothers with young children.
conclusionMothers' experiences indicated that the correctional system and policies, which were predominantly designed for men, do not adequately address the varied and complex needs of pregnant women, mothers, and their young children. Imprisonment of pregnant women and mothers with young children should be the last resort, and they should be provided with holistic, individually tailored support, most preferably in community settings, to address their multiple intersecting needs.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.