Motherhood Experiences of Incarcerated Pregnant Women: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Background: Motherhood in prison is a topic of growing importance and concern in the field ofcriminal justice. Incarcerated mothers face unique challenges that can have profound psychologicalimpacts. The purpose of this study was to gain a deep understanding of pregnant prisoners’ livedexperiences of motherhood.Methods: This qualitative research was carried out using descriptive-interpretive phenomenology viainterviews with 11 pregnant or early postpartum women in prison. The participants were purposefullyselected from incarcerated pregnant women in a prison in Iran from 2019 to 2021. The MAXQDAsoftware version 10 was used for data analysis, using Van Manen’s six-step phenomenological approach.Results: The main theme of “living in a dichotomous world “consisting of two subthemes of “movingbetween unity and separation” and “being subject to ambiguity and uncertainty” emerged in this study.Motherhood in prison is just like living in a shaky and chaotic world, in which mothers are confusedbetween reaching to and separating from their children. They are ambivalent about motherhood andexperience mixed emotions of attachment and abandonment to their child and cannot be confidentregarding the future of themselves and their children.Conclusion: Incarcerated mothers experience mixed emotions of attachment and abandonmenttowards their children, which leaves them uncertain about the future. It is recommended thatsecurity personnel of the prisons and families offer care and support to incarcerated mothers throughconstructive communications and empathy to enhance their well-being. It also seems crucial to adopta community-centered approach that provides empathetic support and implements inclusive policies.

Keywords

• mothers
• prisoners
• psychological well-being
• qualitative research
• phenomenology