“Helpful, Healing, and Meaningful”: Black Women’s Posttest Experiences of Empower In a Correctional Setting

Background:
Black women in correctional settings often live at the intersection of trauma exposure, chronic stress, structural inequity, and limited access to culturally responsive mental health care. These realities make it important to examine not only whether an intervention is helpful, but also how participants experience it and what components feel most meaningful. EMPOWER addresses this need through a trauma-informed, integrative intervention for incarcerated women that centers interoception, or awareness of internal bodily and emotional states, as a pathway for emotional regulation, stress management, and healing. Grounded in a Whole Person Health framework, EMPOWER is especially relevant for Black women because embodied healing practices are not new to Black communities; traditions in Black church worship, rhythmic movement, African diasporic practices, and indigenous healing have long linked body, spirit, emotion, and communal restoration. This study used mixed methods to examine whether Black women across age groups described EMPOWER as helpful and to identify the intervention elements they found most meaningful.

Methods:
This mixed-methods study included Black participants who completed the EMPOWER posttest. The quantitative analytic sample included 45 Black women with non-missing age-group and helpfulness data; participants were grouped as ages 18 to 29 or 30 and older. The primary outcome was a binary indicator coded 1 = helpful or very helpful and 0 = all other responses. Descriptive statistics summarized the sample, and cross-tabulations with chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests assessed age-group differences in positive endorsement. Logistic regression models with robust standard errors tested whether age group predicted the odds of rating EMPOWER as helpful or very helpful. For the qualitative component, open-ended responses from 44 Black participants were analyzed using thematic analysis of activities enjoyed most, memorable takeaways, helpful tools, and additional feedback.

Results:
Overall, 91.1% of Black participants rated EMPOWER as helpful or very helpful. Positive endorsement was similarly high among participants ages 18 to 29 (92.9%) and those age 30 and older (90.3%), with no significant age-group differences in cross-tabulation or logistic regression analyses. Qualitative findings indicated that the most frequently referenced themes were breathing/meditation (68.2%) and singing bowls (52.3%), followed by group support (34.1%), self-awareness (25.0%), and stress relief (22.7%). Older Black women more often referenced breathing/meditation, while younger Black women more often referenced self-awareness and empowerment, though both groups emphasized supportive and embodied aspects of the intervention.

Conclusions and Implications:
EMPOWER was experienced as highly helpful by Black women across age groups. Qualitative findings suggest that its acceptability may stem from its combination of embodied calming practices, supportive group connection, and opportunities for reflection. For social work, these findings support the development of culturally resonant, trauma-informed, interoceptive interventions in correctional settings and highlight the value of integrating both quantitative and qualitative methods to understand not only whether interventions are acceptable, but how they promote healing for marginalized communities.