Risk and Protective Factors in Mothers With a History of Incarceration: Do Relationships Buffer the Effects of Trauma Symptoms and Substance Abuse History?

The Mental Health of Mothers Currently and Formerly Incarcerated in Jails and Prisons: An Integrative Review on Mental Health, Mental Health Treatment, and Traumatic Experiences

Most incarcerated women in the United States are mothers who report high rates of mental health issues and traumatic experiences, yet their needs are often overlooked because they comprise a smaller proportion of the incarcerated population compared with men.

OBJECTIVE

This integrative review aimed to synthesize the literature on the mental health, mental health treatment, and traumatic experiences of currently and formerly incarcerated mothers.

METHODS

We searched PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Criminal Justice Abstracts for all research articles that were written in English; included adult mothers who were incarcerated or incarcerated and released; and contained findings related to mental health, mental health treatment, or traumatic experiences.

RESULTS

Thirty-four articles met the inclusion criteria. Mothers had high rates of moderate-to-severe mental health problems and high childhood and adult trauma rates, especially intimate partner violence. Mothers faced barriers to treatment yet showed psychological resilience and active coping skills.

IMPLICATIONS

Nurses can recognize risk factors for women's incarceration and assess mental health symptoms and trauma, especially interpersonal violence. Nurses can use assessment findings to refer mothers to treatment and community resources and support their reuniting with their children. Nurses can also provide trauma-informed care and education about mental health topics and advocate for mental health treatment prerelease and postrelease. Staff education and organizational interventions to reduce burnout may remove additional barriers to care.

Posttraumatic Growth During Incarceration: A Case Study From an Experiential–Existential Perspective

Life after a traumatic experience is never easy. This is certainly the case for victims. For many offenders, committing a crime might be a traumatic experience as well, and incarceration may confront them even more with the consequences of their deeds. Humanistic therapies are very suitable for encouraging clients to embark on an explicit meaning-making process. In this article, we explore with a case study how experiential–existential therapy can foster meaning making and posttraumatic growth in prisoners. With Diana, we started with identifying her global meanings, which had been threatened by her own actions. The therapy offered her a safe nonjudgmental space where she could learn to explore all aspects of the crime she committed and its consequences. By processing her past in an experiential mode, she generated new meanings about herself, about others and about the meaning and purpose of her own life. Diana found new ways to meet her basic existential needs. She developed a more nuanced set of meanings and a richer pallet of coping skills that enable her to live her life in a more meaningful and in a better adjusted way.