Depression Outcomes of a Prison-Based Support Group for Mothers

Between 1997 and 2001 the number of mothers in prison nearly doubled (Glaze & Marushak, 2008). Most incarcerated mothers are primary caregivers before entering prison and expect to live with their children upon release. Women in prison have typically experienced a number of adverse life events that put them at elevated risk for poor mental health and parenting outcomes (Greenfield & Snell, 2000). At the same time, incarceration can serve as an important transition point in the life course that can be leveraged to improve mental and emotional functioning.

Isis Rising is a parenting support program for mothers and pregnant women. The program is delivered through 12 weekly 3-hour group sessions, and aims to teach participants basic principles of healthy child development, positive coping skills, and effective support-seeking behaviors.

Participants were 66 women who participated in Isis Rising between October 2011 and December 2013. Prior to the first session and at the conclusion of the program, women completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) and a survey of life experiences and support seeking behaviors. On average, women in the program were 28.2 years old at the time of enrollment (SD = 1.0) and were parenting 3 children (M = 2.9) prior to incarceration. Average years of education was 11.3 (SD= 1.9). Just over half (53%) of the mothers were pregnant.

Results confirm that depression is a serious concern for these incarcerated mothers. At pre-test, the mean CESD score was 24.5 (SD = 2.2) and 70% of the sample met the clinical cutoff for depression, similar to other samples of incarcerated women (Keaveny & Zauszniewski, 1999). Severity of depression symptoms at pre-test was not associated with demographics, length of imprisonment, length of sentence, or history of adverse life events. A paired samples t-test indicated there was a statistically significant reduction in severity of depression symptoms from pre-test to post-test, t(37) = 2.53, p = .016. Furthermore, when considering only those women who met the clinical cutoff at pre-test, there was a mean drop in symptom severity (t(37) = 4.31, p < .001) of 6.8 points. Regression analyses indicated that women who were more educated had lower depressive symptoms at post-test (b = -.1.631, t(35) = -3.00, p = .005), and education accounted for an additional 8% of the variation in depressive symptoms (R² = .58, DeltaR²= .66).

Incarcerated mothers are a highly vulnerable population who face considerable mental health risks. This study reports moderate improvements in depression symptoms severity in incarcerated mothers through a prison-based education and support program. More research about how interventions can support mental health in incarcerated mothers is needed.