Solano-Durán Paola, Escobedo Luisa Pérez, Benjumeda Wynhoven Isabel María
Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile.
Oficina de Equidad de Género, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica.
Med Sci Law. 2025 Apr 30:258024251329237. doi: 10.1177/00258024251329237.
Female prisoners in Latin America experience significantly higher rates of mental health issues compared to their male counterparts. The most prevalent include anxiety and stress, which stem from feelings of insecurity, perceived failure, long periods of detention, and the inability to care for their children. Furthermore, over 50% of female prisoners have been exposed to traumatic events, including physical and/or sexual violence, and report more adverse childhood experiences and higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than male prisoners. Understanding the root causes of these mental health issues is essential for developing effective interventions. Body awareness, crucial for consciousness and emotion regulation, is often compromised in individuals with PTSD, exacerbating their symptoms. Positive criminology approaches, such as yoga programs, have been shown to improve inmates' well-being and mental health by addressing these underlying issues. This commentary introduces Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) as a novel intervention designed explicitly for female prisoners with PTSD. Research indicates that TCTSY provides significant physiological and psychological benefits, including reductions in negative emotional states, hostility, and overall psychological distress. Despite these benefits, TCTSY has not yet been implemented in South American prisons. Given the substantial female prison population in Chile and their critical mental health needs, introducing TCTSY in these settings presents a promising opportunity. Implementing TCTSY could significantly enhance the well-being of female prisoners and promote prosocial behavior, addressing the urgent need for effective mental health interventions in this vulnerable population.
与男性囚犯相比，拉丁美洲的女性囚犯心理健康问题发生率要高得多。最常见的问题包括焦虑和压力，这些问题源于不安全感、感知到的失败、长期被拘留以及无法照顾自己的孩子。此外，超过50%的女性囚犯曾遭受过创伤性事件，包括身体暴力和/或性暴力，并且她们报告的童年不良经历和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）发生率高于男性囚犯。了解这些心理健康问题的根源对于制定有效的干预措施至关重要。身体意识对于意识和情绪调节至关重要，但在患有创伤后应激障碍的个体中往往受损，从而加剧了他们的症状。积极犯罪学方法，如瑜伽项目，已被证明可以通过解决这些潜在问题来改善囚犯的幸福感和心理健康。本评论介绍了创伤中心创伤敏感瑜伽（TCTSY），这是一种专门为患有创伤后应激障碍的女性囚犯设计的新型干预措施。研究表明，创伤中心创伤敏感瑜伽能带来显著的生理和心理益处，包括减少负面情绪状态、敌意和总体心理困扰。尽管有这些益处，但创伤中心创伤敏感瑜伽尚未在南美监狱实施。鉴于智利女性监狱人口众多且她们有迫切的心理健康需求，在这些环境中引入创伤中心创伤敏感瑜伽是一个很有前景的机会。实施创伤中心创伤敏感瑜伽可以显著提高女性囚犯的幸福感并促进亲社会行为，满足这一弱势群体对有效心理健康干预措施的迫切需求。
