Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Department

Brain Health

First Committee Member

Sharon Jalene

Number of Pages

59

Abstract

Individuals transitioning out of incarceration often experience challenges with sleep due to the residual effects of confinement. Although this is common among justice-involved individuals, there is limited research on how to address their sleep hygiene self-efficacy after release. Furthermore, despite the wide use of social-emotional learning (SEL) across multiple disciplines, little is known about its influence on sleep-related behavior change in re-entry populations. To address this, the Got Sleep program, designed and implemented at Hope for Prisoners (HOPE), a community site geared toward re-entry assistance, integrated occupational therapy (OT) principles and an SEL approach with practical sleep hygiene strategies to help participants develop healthier sleep routines. Classes were conducted over five weeks, and changes in participants’ confidence, knowledge of sleep management, and overall experience with the program were assessed after program completion. It was anticipated that after completing this program, participants would demonstrate increased confidence in independently practicing good sleep hygiene. At the end of the program, feedback indicated that participants experienced a statistically significant increase in sleep hygiene self-efficacy and an overall increase in self-empowerment. This supports the idea that OT can be beneficial when included in re-entry programming, improving the health and well-being of justice-involved individuals, and increasing their chances of success in community re-entry. Findings from this project seek to expand the evidence supporting OT’s role in re-entry programming and to highlight the value of SEL-informed approaches to address sleep and wellness among justice-involved populations.

Keywords

Community reentry; Justice Involved Individuals; Sleep Hygiene

Disciplines

Occupational Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy | Science and Mathematics Education

File Format

PDF

File Size

563 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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