Abstract
Reliable information about children of incarcerated people is difficult to obtain, and major gaps exist in our understanding of their well-being. This study aims to determine whether adolescents with incarcerated parents report higher levels of mental health problems than those without an incarcerated parent, and whether the relationship between parental incarceration and adolescent mental health is moderated by parent-child relationships. Using a statewide survey from one US state, we compared adolescents with a currently incarcerated parent to those with a formerly incarcerated parent and those with no history of parental incarceration on self-reported indicators of mental health, and examined whether strong parent-child relationships were protective against mental health concerns. Results indicate that adolescents with incarcerated parents are at elevated risk for mental health problems, and strong parent-child relationships partially buffer children from risk. Findings underscore the need for more investment in effective early interventions for adolescents in highly adverse contexts.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 120-134 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Journal of Adolescence |
| Volume | 54 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2017 |
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Keywords
- Adolescent well-being
- Mental health
- Parent-child closeness
- Parental incarceration
Cite this
Mental health of adolescents with currently and formerly incarcerated parents. / Davis, Laurel; Shlafer, Rebecca J.
In: Journal of Adolescence, Vol. 54, 01.01.2017, p. 120-134.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health of adolescents with currently and formerly incarcerated parents
AU - Davis, Laurel
AU - Shlafer, Rebecca J
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - Reliable information about children of incarcerated people is difficult to obtain, and major gaps exist in our understanding of their well-being. This study aims to determine whether adolescents with incarcerated parents report higher levels of mental health problems than those without an incarcerated parent, and whether the relationship between parental incarceration and adolescent mental health is moderated by parent-child relationships. Using a statewide survey from one US state, we compared adolescents with a currently incarcerated parent to those with a formerly incarcerated parent and those with no history of parental incarceration on self-reported indicators of mental health, and examined whether strong parent-child relationships were protective against mental health concerns. Results indicate that adolescents with incarcerated parents are at elevated risk for mental health problems, and strong parent-child relationships partially buffer children from risk. Findings underscore the need for more investment in effective early interventions for adolescents in highly adverse contexts.
AB - Reliable information about children of incarcerated people is difficult to obtain, and major gaps exist in our understanding of their well-being. This study aims to determine whether adolescents with incarcerated parents report higher levels of mental health problems than those without an incarcerated parent, and whether the relationship between parental incarceration and adolescent mental health is moderated by parent-child relationships. Using a statewide survey from one US state, we compared adolescents with a currently incarcerated parent to those with a formerly incarcerated parent and those with no history of parental incarceration on self-reported indicators of mental health, and examined whether strong parent-child relationships were protective against mental health concerns. Results indicate that adolescents with incarcerated parents are at elevated risk for mental health problems, and strong parent-child relationships partially buffer children from risk. Findings underscore the need for more investment in effective early interventions for adolescents in highly adverse contexts.
KW - Adolescent well-being
KW - Mental health
KW - Parent-child closeness
KW - Parental incarceration
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85006788824&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85006788824&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.10.006
DO - 10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.10.006
M3 - Article
VL - 54
SP - 120
EP - 134
JO - Journal of Adolescence
JF - Journal of Adolescence
SN - 0140-1971
ER -