Reducing Trauma from Behind Bars: Enhancing Parent-Child Attachment Through a Digitally Distributed Reading Program. (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McLeod, David A.; B. Pharris, Angela; Marcus-Mendoza, Susan; Winkles, Rachael A. M.; Chapman, Rachel; Fuller, Cheri
• Is Part Of: Prison journal. Volume 101:Number 5(2021)
• Page Start: 575
• Page End: 590
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: parental incarceration -- child literacy -- Oklahoma children of incarcerated parents -- attachment; Prisons -- Periodicals; Prisons -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 365.6
• DOI: 10.1177/00328855211048181
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-8855

Abstract

Incarceration impacts families by disrupting routine attachment, creating negative consequences for both the parent and child. This article examines the use of an intervention videoing incarcerated parents reading to their children and then delivering those videos to improve child outcomes. Using a mixed-methods approach, a total of 587 surveys were completed by program participants and analyzed for parental perceptions of the program effectiveness. The intervention appeared to increase the frequency of correspondence between the parent and child, improved the sense of parent-child relationship, and increased a sense of involvement, attachment, and connectedness.