Psychological distress of inmates at a women's prison in Lima after the first wave of COVID-19 in November 2020.

OBTECTIVES: A descriptive study was carried out to establish the levels of psychological distress amongst female inmates at a high-security prison in Lima in November 2020, after the first wave of COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The Brief Symptoms Inventory-18 (BSI-18) was applied to a representative sample of 314 female inmates who agreed to participate in the study. RESULTS: Results showed that 34.6% of the inmates could be considered as cases of psychological distress. Moreover, the depression subscale had the highest score, followed by the anxiety and the somatisation subscales. The most prevalent symptom was "feeling blue". DISCUSSION: The prevalence of distress symptoms was analyzed, taking into account the effects of the first wave of COVID-19, the suspension of family visits, the restriction of treatment and leisure activities, etc. Gender aspects were also taken into consideration.

Distrés psicológico en internas de un establecimiento penitenciario de mujeres de Lima al finalizar la primera ola de COVID-19 en noviembre de 2020 / Psychological distress of inmates at a women’s prison in Lima after the first wave of COVID-19 in November 2020

Objetivos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo con el objetivo de conocer los niveles de distrés psicológico de las internas de un establecimiento penitenciario de máxima seguridad de Lima (Perú), en noviembre 2020, al finalizar la primera ola de enfermedad del coronavirus de 2019 (COVID-19). Material y método: Se aplicó el inventario breve de 18 síntomas (BSI-18, Brief Symptoms Inventory-18) a una muestra representativa de 314 internas que aceptaron participar en el estudio. Resultados: Los resultados indicaron que el 34,6% de las internas pueden ser consideradas como casos de distrés psicológico, se evidenció que la subescala de depresión obtuvo mayor puntaje, seguida por la de ansiedad y somatización. El síntoma más frecuente fue “sentimientos de tristeza”. Discusión: Se analizó la prevalencia de los síntomas de distrés considerando los efectos de la primera ola de COVID-19, la suspensión de visitas de familiares, la restricción de actividades de tratamiento y esparcimiento, entre otros, teniendo en cuenta aspectos de género. (AU)

Objectives: A descriptive study was carried out to establish the levels of psychological distress amongst female inmates at a high-security prison in Lima in November 2020, after the first wave of COVID-19. Material and method: The Brief Symptoms Inventory-18 (BSI-18) was applied to a representative sample of 314 female inmates who agreed to participate in the study.Results: Results showed that 34.6% of the inmates could be considered as cases of psychological distress. Moreover, the depression subscale had the highest score, followed by the anxiety and the somatisation subscales. The most prevalent symptom was “feeling blue”. Discussion: The prevalence of distress symptoms was analyzed, taking into account the effects of the first wave of COVID-19, the suspension of family visits, the restriction of treatment and leisure activities, etc. Gender aspects were also taken into consideration. (AU)