Houses of healing: A group intervention for grieving women in prison
Health Promotion Programs
May 2021
Full Citation
Ferszt, G. G., Salgado, D., DeFedele, S., & Leveillee, M. (2009). Houses of healing: A group intervention for grieving women in prison. The Prison Journal, 89(1), 46-64.
Abstract
This study examines the impact of female inmate participation in a facilitator-led group on psychosocial (anxiety, depression, self-esteem) and spiritual well-being. A convenience sample of 36 women (21 intervention, 15 comparison) was recruited from a women's prison in the Northeast. Participants in the groups described positive outcomes in the interviews and in the quantitative measurements of anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. Trends in the data, however, indicated an additional differential effect related to program involvement for depression and anxiety scores. The spirituality scores were high at all times for both groups, with slight increases over the period of the study.