THE TRAUMA-RELATED MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OF FEMALE PRISONERS: THE NEED FOR TRAUMA-SPECIFIC INTERVENTION. A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Sammanfattning: Mental illness is far higher among prisoners than in general populations, especially for female prisoners. Previous research has discovered that traumatic experience plays a crucial role in the development of psychiatric disorder and other mental health issues in female prisoners. The present paper reviews eight articles, investigating into the negative outcomes associated with trauma-related mental health issues for female prisoners, and how their trauma-related mental health needs are addressed in prison. Systematic text condensation was used to discover similar themes and meanings throughout the articles. The results found a high prevalence of unrecognized and misdiagnosed trauma-related mental health issues across the articles, in particular post-traumatic stress disorder, with treatment having too much focus on substance abuse rather than addressing trauma directly. The review concludes that current prison screening measures and interventions do not identify trauma-related mental health issues adequately or address trauma directly. As a result, prison services do not meet the complex trauma needs of women. Further research needs to be conducted in this area for this population, as trauma-specific treatment is in its infancy.