Acceptability of a Social Support Intervention for Re-entering Prisoners

Enhancing Social Support Postincarceration: Results From a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Building on the current study findings and the previous feasibility and acceptability evaluation of Support Matters (Pettus‐Davis et al, ), we propose three ways to improve social support interventions like Support Matters. Our proposed improvements fall into the categories of dosage, targeted content, and motivational engagement strategies.…”

“…Remarkably, the null findings of the outcomes were inconsistent with the experiences support partners, former prisoners, and practitioners who participated in Support Matters. A process evaluation of acceptability and feasibility of Support Matters was conducted and published in a prior paper (Pettus‐Davis et al, ). In that study, former prisoners and support partners reported a high level of satisfaction with Support Matters.…”

“…Conflict or mismatched resources of support providers and the needs of the support recipient leads to formerly incarcerated persons seeking out support from negative social network members (Martinez & Abrams, ; Seal et al., ). Given these complexities, intervention developers seek to better understand how to optimize interventions that enhance positive support of former prisoners (Fontaine et al., ; Pettus‐Davis et al, ; Sullivan et al., ; Wilson et al., ).…”

“…These trends have led researchers and social support intervention developers to seek ways to maximize and sustain positive social support from loved ones available to individuals after prison (Duwe & Clark, ; Fontaine, Gilchrist‐Scott, & Denver, ; Pettus‐Davis et al., ; Sullivan et al., ; Wilson et al., ). Social support interventions are “systematic activities designed to change the existing quality, level, or function of an individual's social network or to create new networks and relationships [to mobilize social support to achieve specific outcomes]” (Budde & Schene, , p. 342; Pettus‐Davis, Howard, Roberts‐Lewis, & Scheyett, ; Pettus‐Davis et al, ).…”

Using Randomized Controlled Trials to Evaluate Interventions for Releasing Prisoners

“…However, existing tests of social support interventions with releasing prisoners have provided little guidance regarding how to conduct RCTs to test interventions. Social support interventions are systematic activities designed to enhance the existing quality or functions of former prisoners' support systems with the aim of mobilizing support to reduce rates of reincarceration (Pettus-Davis et al, 2015). Because social support interventions actively engage support providers in the program, testing intervention effects can involve two samples that contribute significantly to RCT complexity.…”