Abstract
The aim of the study was to identify the impact of social stigma on the wives of imprisoned men in theDublin area of Ireland. The objectives were to highlight the specific experiences of the wives that are asa result of social stigma and the strategies they employ in order to cope with these experiences. The studymethod was qualitative with semi-structured interviews as the data collection instrument. The interviewswere conducted with a sample size of 4. Thematic analysis was used to identify the themes in the participant’s narrations. After analysis, the following themes were identified; social isolation, financialburden, emotional distress, avoidance behaviour, and increases sense of independence. The identifiedthemes all had bearing on social stigma, with avoidance and increased sense of independence as thecoping strategies. There is already overwhelming evidence that families of imprisoned men experiencesocial stigma. However, the evidence largely associates this experience with the family members in general, and has mostly been gathered outside Ireland. This study contributes to the literature byfocusing specifically on the spouses of the imprisoned men and identifying their lived experiences ofsocial stigma, and their coping strategies
