Against the Odds: A Structural Equation Analysis of Family Resilience Processes during Paternal Incarceration.

Amy A Morgan,Susan Dennison,Joyce A Arditti,Signe Frederiksen

doi:10.3390/ijerph182111592

Abstract

On any given day, approximately 2.1 million children in Europe have an incarcerated parent. Although research indicates that material hardship is associated with parental incarceration, and particularly paternal incarceration, little is known about family processes that may mitigate the harmful effects of such hardship on children with an incarcerated parent. Guided by a resilience framework, this study examined how family processes mediate the effects of material hardship on youth academic adjustment within the context of paternal incarceration. Using Danish data that assessed key family constructs, structural equation modeling was used to perform a mediational within-group analysis of primary caregivers (n = 727) to children with an incarcerated father. Results indicate that although social support and parenting skills did not yield mediating effects, caregiver mental health strongly mediated the effects of material hardship on youth academic adjustment during paternal incarceration. Findings suggest that economic conditions, as well as caregiver mental health symptoms, are important areas of intervention that may promote family-level resilience for youth of an imprisoned father. We conclude with research and practice recommendations to advance our understanding of resilience among families with an incarcerated parent.

Highlights

The rising global incarceration rate has remained fairly commensurate with rising population rates (i.e., 24%), changes in prison population rates since 2000 vary considerably across countries [1]
In this paper we present an empirical test of the theoretical FIF by examining how family processes, such as caregiver mental health, positive parenting, and social support, mediate the effects of material hardship on youth outcomes during paternal incarceration
Material hardship did not have a significant effect on either youth academic adjustment (β = −0.014, p = 0.861) or respondents’ positive parenting (β = 0.003, p = 0.952)

Summary

Introduction

The rising global incarceration rate has remained fairly commensurate with rising population rates (i.e., 24%), changes in prison population rates since 2000 vary considerably across countries [1]. Across Europe, the number of estimated children (i.e., 2.1 million) with an incarcerated parent is equivalent to that of a small country [2]. Rising and maintained rates of prison populations, and the sheer number of children experiencing parental incarceration (PI), warrant consideration of the many families impacted globally by carceral practices. Much remains to be known about the effects of PI, existing research clearly shows that PI broadly generates adverse outcomes for youth and families [2,3].

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Discussion

Conclusion