Many women who had been taking medication that had been effective for a mental health problem in the community, for example prescription medication for anxiety, were not able to continue on that medication on admission to prison. Many of the women reported extensive waiting times to access treatment and support, which exacerbated these problems.Īcknowledge the brutal history of Indigenous health care – for healing The mothers highlighted the links between reproductive health problems and trauma, injury, and poor social and emotional well-being. The mothers reported a high occurrence of reproductive health problems including endometriosis, ovarian cysts, precancerous changes of the cervix, and cervical cancer. Head injuries produced ongoing symptoms such as head pain, blurred vision, and memory loss, which made it more difficult to access treatment. Some had sustained injuries caused by family violence. The mothers in our study reported having multiple physical health problems too. It creates another generation of Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their mothers as well as separating Aboriginal mothers from their families and communities. This compounds intergenerational trauma and cycles of incarceration. Indigenous women are overrepresented in the female prison population in Australia. Consequently, Aboriginal women often cycle through the prison system on shorter sentences or remand (unsentenced) and experience multiple incarcerations. Aboriginal women are more likely to be charged and imprisoned for minor offences than non-Aboriginal women. But no action is taken to address these underlying causes of discrimination and incarceration.Īs a result, more than 80% of Aboriginal mothers in prison in NSW report their offences are drug-related. This further increases the risk of contact with the criminal justice system and leads to deterioration of mental health and well-being. But this is seen as a law and order issue rather than a health problem or coping method of last resort because they haven’t been able to access services to address intergenerational trauma. Some Aboriginal women use substances to cope with past trauma. Why are we losing so many Indigenous children to suicide? Mothers worried that their children would not be returned to them. Many mothers reported that these visits were rare, even though they had been ordered by the court. Mothers whose children had been taken by government services were reliant on government caseworkers to facilitate their children’s visits. Phone contact in prison was also difficult if the mothers did not have the money to use the prison phones. Many mothers had children in the care of family members, but the long distances between the prison and the family’s home made regular contact extremely difficult. Trauma is associated with high rates of co-occurring mental health disorders. In prison, many of the Aboriginal mothers experienced significant distress due to the trauma of separation from children combined with the stress of the prison environment. Mothers recounted their own and their relatives’ experiences of being removed from their families as children, as part of the Stolen Generations, painting a picture of longstanding and ongoing intergenerational trauma. The mothers we interviewed said intergenerational trauma and the forced removal of their children by government services were the most significant factors affecting their health and well-being. University of Sydney, University of Newcastle, and UNSW Sydney provide funding as members of The Conversation AU. University of Technology Sydney provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU. Stacey Lighton's PhD data-set is taken from an NHMRC funded project Partners Elizabeth Sullivan is employed part time by the Justice Health and the Forensic Mental Health Network.īoard member of Nelly's place a yet to be established accommodation for Aboriginal mothers leaving prison Sacha Kendall receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research CouncilĮileen Baldry receives funding from the ARC and NHMRCĮlizabeth Sullivan receives research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. PhD Candidate, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney Professor Public Health and Deputy Head of the Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of NewcastleĪssociate Dean (Indigenous Strategy and Services), Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney Post-doctoral research fellow in public health, University of Technology Sydney
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