Depression, anxiety and stress are among the most common mental health problems experienced by people. According to the 2017 World Health Organization-Philippines global statistics, more than 300 million people are battling depression, which is an increase of more than 18% during 2005-2015 (Mateo, 2017) with a rate of prevalence ranging from 2.6 to 29.5%. (Magtubo, 2017). Of all people suffering from depression, 85% live in low- and middle-income countries (Khan, 2018). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the Philippines alone, an estimated 3.29 million people live with depression and 3.07 million live with anxiety (Mateo, 2017 ). These are among the most common mental health issues faced by those who are incarcerated. Shrestha, et al. (2017), argued that depression is the most common form of mental disorder among prisoners, with a much higher prevalence than the general population. Criminologists have observed an increasing number of women involved in crimes and found in prisons and jails in countries such as Brazil, Israel and the United States. It has been noted that in several countries around the world, there is an upward trend in the number of incarcerated mothers. Incarceration involves the physical separation of mothers from their children. In the Philippines, there is an increase in the prison population due to the anti-drug campaign, which began in 2016. This is the year President Duterte's war on drugs began. Of this growing number of women, many are mothers. The family is considered the first institution capable of satisfying the natural needs of an individual with the mother as the primary caregiver. Tremblay and Sutherland (2017) found evidence to suggest that maternal incarceration can have negative implications for children. Being a mother involves having one or more children and comes with many responsibilities that come with bearing, caring for, raising, guiding and ultimately letting go of children as responsible and functional members of society and the demands are endless. One of the negative effects of maternal incarceration is that these left-behind children are vulnerable to having conduct problems, antisocial behavior, and even are at risk of dropping out of school or experiencing academic failure. There are numerous studies on the effects of incarceration on children, but the Philippines lacks studies that attempt to understand the experience of motherhood in prison from the perspective of mothers themselves. Incarceration affects not only children but mothers themselves. . Previous studies have shown that confinement in a prison environment is a potential stressor. According to Unver et al. (2013), among the inmates he studied suffer from depression, anxiety and stress. Contributing factors among mothers include how they care for their children during arrest and detention. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The present study involves assessing the mental health of female inmates by determining their level of depression, anxiety, and stress and knowing their lived experience as a mother. The researcher, being a mother herself, finds motherhood challenging despite her physical presence at home. She wants to know how these mothers navigate their roles as mothers while separated from their families due to incarceration. The findings of this study serve as an empirical basis for community service activities for several agencies and organizations that serve the needs of incarcerated women, especially mothers. The result of this..