Understanding the Lived Experiences of Mothers Post-Incarceration
Abstract
This study used a phenomenological method to explore the lived experiences of mothers post-incarceration. Study questions included: (a) What is the lived experience of mothers connecting with children during reintegration? (b) What are mothers' perspectives of their capacity to fulfill their mothering role during reintegration? and (c) How do mothers describe connections to community systems during reintegration? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 mothers to obtain their unique perspectives and Relational-Cultural Theory was used to discuss findings. It was noted that mothers considerably lacked the experience of mutual empathy in their own childhood and current life. Mothers experienced many points of disconnection with children and were in need of support to reenter relationships with them in a way that promoted a shared understanding of each other. Overall, mothers experienced significant isolation in personal and community-level relationships and were in need of greater empathetic connections on both levels.
Subject Area
Social research|Social work|Womens studies|Criminology|Individual & family studies
Recommended Citation
Allen, DeVonne, "Understanding the Lived Experiences of Mothers Post-Incarceration" (2019). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI13884734.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI13884734
