“It's Like a Limb Is Missing”: The Lived Experience of Mothers of Adult Sex Offending Sons

Abstract

The impact of mass incarceration has been wide-reaching, affecting not only those who are incarcerated, but substantially burdening their family members. Parents of incarcerated individuals often carry the emotional and financial burden of incarceration, in addition to the stigma of having a child behind bars. Supporting a loved one or child incarcerated for a sexual offense can exacerbate the burden, particularly due to the stigma and shame attached to such acts. This is especially evident in the experiences of mothers navigating this challenging circumstance. Using data from the Facebook group, incarcerated loved ones, and through a phenomenological approach, six themes emerged. The themes included painful emotions, physical health impacts, barriers and challenges, systemic issues, mental health services, advocacy, and support. Clinical and policy implications are embedded into the discussion and future research directions are provided.