Mental health of female prisoners in Spain: vulnerabilities and challenges in prison environments

The aim of the study is to identify factors associated with the intake of psychotropic medication in prison among a sample of Spanish female prisoners.

Information was collected from 1544 female prisoners in 39 prisons using a self-completed questionnaire in the presence of the researchers. The questionnaire had 60 questions. A descriptive, bivariate analysis and a logistic regression analysis were performed to calculate the ORs.

Our results show that 44.1% (681) were taking medication for their mental health in prison. In the logistic regression, seven variables were significantly associated with taking psychiatric medication and mental health problems: being Spanish meant a prisoner was five times more likely compared to being foreign (OR 5.31); intellectual disability was eight times more likely (OR 7.88); to have been treated for anxiety or depression was three times more likely (OR 3.32); a negative assessment of psychological health (OR 0,72) and older age (OR 1,03) were correlated; having been in solitary confinement was twice as likely (OR 2.65); and feeling unwell and self-injury meant a prisoner was almost five times more likely to be medicated (OR 4.89).

Mental health in prison should be addressed from a therapeutic as well as a pharmacological perspective, requiring a model of intervention for mental disorders that is centred on the needs of women and not androcentric. Furthermore, the use of solitary confinement is questioned due to its negative impact on mental health. The creation of a prison environment that promotes recovery and includes gender perspective is a key component for a comprehensive mental health policy in prisons.