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Dissertation
A seat at the table: storytelling as a critical health policy strategy in the wake of parental incarceration
Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), Drexel University
Dec 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010917
Abstract
This dissertation examines the health impacts of parental incarceration and the pursuit of healing at individual, familial, and societal levels. While existing research highlights the trauma caused by parental incarceration, this study expands on the literature by examining the dual role of an adult child of an incarcerated parent, who also took on caregiving responsibilities, a perspective often overlooked. Using autoethnography, this research explores how personal reflection, family dialogue, and policy critique can promote healing and inform systemic change. Paper 1, "Cleanin' Out My Closet: Epistolary Writing as a Tool to Encourage Personal Reflection and Influence Health Policy," utilizes letter-writing as a self-care and healing strategy, promoting health and well-being through personal and collective reflection with family. Paper 2, "Family Business: Confronting the Trauma of Parental Incarceration as a Strategy for Individual and Collective Healing," documents family conversations through digital storytelling, offering a model for collective healing and challenging the stigma around silence. Paper 3, "Cranes in the Sky: A Review of Literature and Policy Review," examines the impact of mass incarceration policies on Black women and communities of color, with a focus on maternal incarceration and its implications for children and caregivers. Healing is a collective process, and this study reveals how addressing trauma through storytelling and dialogue can support coping, wellness, and resilience. Its findings underscore the importance of integrating lived experiences into policy discussions to combat generational trauma, foster long-term mental health, and promote community well-being.
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Details
- Title
- A seat at the table
- Creators
- Shanna-Kay T. Townsend
- Contributors
- LeConté J. Dill (Advisor)Sandra L. Bloom (Advisor) - Drexel University, Health Management and Policy
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xiv, 159 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Dana and David Dornsife School of Public Health; Health Management and Policy; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022049752404721