Níveis de ansiedade e depressão em gestantes e lactantes privadas de liberdade

um estudo na unidade materno-infantil da UCRF/PA

Abstract

The study investigated levels of anxiety and depression among pregnant and breastfeeding women incarcerated at the Maternal-Infant Unit of the UCRF in Ananindeua, Pará, Brazil. This quantitative research included 29 participants, mostly young Black or mixed-race women with low levels of education. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) were used. In the initial assessment, 37.9% of the women presented severe anxiety and 51.7% showed moderate depression. After four months, a significant reduction in anxiety levels was observed, but depressive symptoms persisted. Conditions of social vulnerability, lack of visits, and emotional isolation intensified psychological distress, impacting the experience of motherhood in prison. Although the more humanized environment of the Maternal-Infant Unit supported emotional adaptation, motherhood was still marked by ambivalence between strengthening the bond with the baby and suffering caused by the deprivation of freedom. The study highlights the urgent need for intersectoral public policies to ensure comprehensive mental health care and the reproductive rights of these women, promoting the dignity of motherhood within the context of incarceration.