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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Language, Culture and Diversity
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1406413

"It's been like a spiritual awakening for me": The impacts of traumatic brain injury education with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the Australian correctional system

Provisionally accepted
Michelle Fitts Michelle Fitts 1,2,3*Jennifer Cullen Jennifer Cullen 2,4,5Rachel Montgomery Rachel Montgomery 6Glenda Duffy Glenda Duffy 6
  • 1 Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
  • 2 James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
  • 3 Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
  • 4 Synapse, Brisbane, Australia
  • 5 Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
  • 6 Australian Red Cross, Townsville, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    A majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in correctional centers report prior experience of traumatic brain injury (TBI) from assault. TBI education in settings outside correctional centers, such as health settings, is shown to help people living with TBI implement strategies for symptom management. The aim of this study was to understand and identify what impacts TBI education would have for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in correctional centers in Australia. In August 2023, two Aboriginal facilitators from a national brain injury organization delivered two three-day workshops on brain injury, with a primary focus on TBI, to 15 women involved in a peer-mentor support group (Sisters for Change) at one regional correctional center in Queensland (Australia). TBI resource packages were also shared with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women at the correctional centre with lived experience of TBI from family violence. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who attended the workshops and/or received the TBI information resource packages. Thematic analysis was conducted on interview transcripts as well as the written notes recorded from the workshops. The workshops supported women to develop a deeper understanding of brain anatomy, impacts of physical violence on brain function and how TBI appears in everyday life, both inside a correctional centre and in the community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women reported gaining deeper insight into, and greater compassion for, themselves and other women at the correctional center who have histories of family violence. The findings underscore the need for greater consideration of how TBI education and screening pathways can contribute to the provision of appropriate and responsive supports for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in correctional centres and subsequent to their release from the correctional centre.

    Keywords: Education, Aboriginal and torres strait Islander women, Prison, Traumatic Brain Injury, Violence, Peer mentors

    Received: 25 Mar 2024; Accepted: 30 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Fitts, Cullen, Montgomery and Duffy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Michelle Fitts, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.