| Learning Objective #1: Describe the use of storytelling, art, and journaling as devices to assist incarcerated women in developing their own voice and understanding about past trauma | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe the potential of collaborative research with incarcerated women |
Despite the large numbers of women in jail and prison who have experienced domestic violence, studies of abused women in prison, as a distinct and separate population, have been limited in number. The mental health needs of these women are high yet few interventions have been tested to increase mental health outcomes with this vulnerable population. The purpose of this study was to pilot the narrative component and evaluate the tools used to determine the psychological, social and behavioral outcomes of a multimodal intervention with incarcerated women.
The multimodal intervention consists of a) account-making/storytelling, b) art and music c) support groups. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with random assignment to experimental comparison and control groups. The initial assessment included pre-intervention groups to administer the instruments (e.g., questionnaires) and review the interventions with the participants. The second phase consists of a) delivering the intervention in a series of support groups comprised of incarcerated women; and b) data collection. Group 1 received art, music and account-making including topics related to various health issues and domestic violence. Group 2 received account-making including topics related to various health issues and domestic violence. Groups met for 10 sessions and covered the same topics simultaneously.
Pre and post-test measures of dependent/outcome variables include: a) depression; b) social isolation; and c) thought intrusion. Data collection also included the Shortened Drug Abuse Screening Test, the Index of Spouse Abuse to determine the severity or magnitude of physical and nonphysical abuse inflicted on a woman by her partner. Women also comment on their overall experiences with the intervention.
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