Analysis of the prison population's mental health in Sars-Cov-2 pandemic: Qualitative analysis. (February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Júnior, Jucier Gonçalves; de Sales, Jair Paulino; da Silva, Flaviane Cristine Troglio; Filho, João de Deus Quirino; Cavalcanti, Rita de Cassia Pires Bezerra; Landim, José Marcondes Macedo; Lima, Nádia Nara Rolim; Neto, Francisco Facundo de Matos; Cardoso, Fábio; Neto, Modesto Leite Rolim
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry research. Volume 296(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-02
• Subjects: Coronavirus infection -- Health promotion -- Mental health -- Prison -- Public health; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- periodicals; Psychiatrie -- Périodiques; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113669
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0165-1781

Abstract

Highlights: The changes in routine had a major impact on the mental health of the general population, with these changes being much more aggressive in populations in a state of social vulnerability as prisoners. several elements are responsible for worsening the mental health of prisoners or causing mental illness: The precarious conditions of prisons, the high rate of infections and psychiatric illnesses to which the prison population is subject to, and the lack of government assistance. Formulate health promotion and prevention policies focusing on mental health for prison population is fundamental in COVID-19 pandemic. Abstract: This study aimed to analyze the possible impacts on the prison population's mental health in the context of the new COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative study was carried out following a lexical and content analysis using the software IRaMuTeQ, version 0.7 alpha 2, in the speech of the short communication and headlines from newspapers. Three groups emerged from the analysis: "spatial conditions for infection" (39.2% of the text segments); "disease outbreaks in prisons" (30, 4%) and "public responsibility" (30, 4%). Precarious conditions of prisons, high rate of infections and psychiatric illnesses, and lack of government assistance are issues that should be given special attention in order to formulate health promotion and prevention policies focusing on mental health in prison population.