MH062 - (Task K) - "Compassionate Focussed Therapy" for perinatal women living in prison.

There are just over 3,500 women in 12 prisons, comprising 4% of the prison population in England and

Wales. An estimated 600 pregnant women are in prison each year and over half of female prisoners are mothers, with around 1,500 children aged under 18 months separated from mothers in prison. A significant portion of women in prison are therefore within the perinatal period which refers to the duration of pregnancy and two years after childbirth. Mental health difficulties are significantly overrepresented within this group, with women in prison at heightened risk of developing poor perinatal mental health. Despite this, there are gaps in services for perinatal women, particularly in relation to the availability of appropriate and evidenced based psychological interventions.


Compassion Focused Therapy is a form of talking therapy that aims to help people respond to self- criticism with self-compassion. Compassion Focussed Therapy has been specifically adapted for use with perinatal mental health difficulties to help mothers manage feelings of shame and self-criticism. While
Compassion Focused Therapy has been shown to be effective in the context of perinatal mental health and within the prison setting, there is a lack of evidence regarding its use with perinatal women in prison.
This study will explore the acceptability of Compassion Focused Therapy and assess outcomes for female prisoners on the perinatal pathway in HMP Drake Hall. A mixed-methods, single arm before-after pilot design will be used. The study will consist of three Work Packages. Work Package 1 will identify and synthesise previous research on the provision of Compassion Focussed Therapy with perinatal women in a prison setting using a scoping review. Work Package 2 will explore how the Compassion Focused Therapy intervention is delivered and adapted within the prison setting through qualitative interviews with practitioners and the women receiving the intervention. Work Package 3 will assess compassion-related and mental health outcomes at baseline and follow-up using standardised measures. Public involvement will be embedded throughout the research, with the approach to this informed by the expertise of the two public co-applicants. The findings from the three Work Packages will provide insight into the acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness of the intervention with perinatal women in the prison environment. The results will also give an indication of whether the intervention has potential for improving clinical outcomes, and thus if a large-scale investigation utilising a controlled design is warranted and feasible.