Maternal care in a prison environment: representation by story drawing

Abstract

Objective: to understand mothers’ feelings about caring for their children in prison. Method: the participants in this qualitative study were women in the seventh to ninth months of pregnancy, and mothers with children in the nursery, at a Prison Unit in Aquiráz, Ceará, totaling 17 participants in the 9 meetings held. Data were collected between June and October 2018 using the story-drawing technique. The drawings were analyzed individually with each prisoner and categorized by the researchers. The study had research ethics committee approval. Results: the story-drawing activity made it possible to understand how the mothers’ felt about caring for their children and, from that, it was possible to specify measures seen as care inside the prison. Conclusion: from analysis of the experience of motherhood in prison, it is possible to comprehend the feelings running through the role of motherhood.