Theories and Assumptions That Inform Trauma-Specific Interventions for Incarcerated Women

The field of interventional outcomes research in programs designed to treat trauma in correctionally involved women involves contributions from researchers in a variety of disciplines. In this review, we asked how recent interventional studies addressed 3 theoretical touchstones-relational cultural theory, trauma theory, and addiction theory. We found that few outcomes studies engaged theory directly on any of these points and concluded that the opportunity for field-defining debate may risk getting lost in a quest for numbers or outcomes. We recommended that researchers more explicitly position their work, especially with respect to key theories and points of debate.