The Experience of Ethnic Minority Mothers Whose Sons Are Incarcerated: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study

Abstract

This qualitative, interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) study examined the experiences of ethnic minority mothers whose sons are incarcerated. The United States continues to be the world leader in its incarceration rates, and ethnic minority males comprise a disproportionate amount of the prison population. The mothers of these incarcerated males often carry much of the burden. Coupled with the added stressors that encompass being an ethnic minority mother, such as higher rates of single parenting, lower socioeconomic status, and higher rates of psychological and physical distress compared to White mothers, the significance of their son being incarcerated is intensified and perpetuated by systemic entities. This study is one of the first to understand the unique phenomena of what it is to be an ethnic minority mother with an incarcerated son; utilizing an overarching theoretical framework of critical race theory (CRT), it aimed to further discover how they make meaning of their experiences. Eight ethnic minority mothers with incarcerated sons participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked questions related to their experiences with their son throughout their life, impact of incident and incarceration, coping strategies, and intersection of cultural identities. Participants described feeling as though they were incarcerated along with their sons. They experienced trauma, isolation, stigma, depression, anxiety, and at the most extreme end of mental health symptoms, three experienced suicidal ideation and one attempted suicide. Participants also described significant impacts on family dynamics, and in some cases due to stigma, lack of social support from sources they had previously depended on. Besides the emotional hardships they experienced, they also encountered financial burdens. Participants primarily utilized positive coping, predominately their faith, social support, therapy, and support from social media to deal with these hardships. The results provide confirmation for CRT in that the systems designed to protect their sons failed them, and their sons suffered the consequences of the inequities. Participants demonstrated resilience in their ability to make it through the experience to find a sense of meaning and purpose in advocating for others. The extent to which they were able to do this depended on the recency of their son’s incarceration.