Legal System-Involved Women’s Coping Strategies and Health Under COVID-19 Pandemic Policy

• In Event: Positive and Strengths-Based Approaches to Understanding Trauma and Mental Health

Abstract

Research suggests that historically marginalized groups were disproportionately affected by the consequences of the pandemic. Women were more likely to be pushed out of the workforce and racial/ethnic minorities were likely to suffer more intersectional challenges during the pandemic than any other population (Pirtle &Wright, 2021; Coats et al., 2022). This study focuses on an often-invisible group – community-based legal system-involved women. Women convicted of felony offenses encounter numerous barriers to reintegration into society, including stable housing, employment opportunities, and affordable healthcare services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these needs were magnified. Based on qualitative interviews with 90 legal system-involved women about their most challenging experiences during the pandemic, we apply Lazarus and Folkman’s Psychological Stress and Coping theory to deductively code for coping strategies and assess the association between participants’ coping strategies and mental health.

Authors

• Bothwell Piason, Arizona State University

• Marva Goodson, Arizona State University

• Benjamin Phillips, Arizona State University