Abstract
This study examines the relationship between poor physical health and exposure to family member incarceration. Longitudinal data (2001–2015) from an Australian nationally representative household-based panel study was used (177,312 observations within 26,572 respondents). Hybrid random-effects models showed a strong correlation between poor physical health and family member imprisonment. However, this strong association can be explained for a large part by differences between individuals, since the association of physical health with within-individual changes in family member imprisonment was considerably lower. Nevertheless, the within-individual analyses showed that male sample members were significantly more likely to experience physical health problems in years in which they experienced family member imprisonment, compared to years in which they did not. This association was not found among females. Moreover, no effect of parental imprisonment on the physical health of young sample members was found.
Highlights
Over the past two centuries, incarceration rates in most countries have increased
The current study addresses these limitations by using a large, lon gitudinal (2001–2016) household panel from Australia to examine the relationship between the incarceration of family members and physical health
The results from this study show that the imprisonment of parents and family members is associated with health outcomes, but that these associations could, for a large part, be explained by differ ences between respondents and do not necessarily reflect causal effects
Summary
Over the past two centuries, incarceration rates in most countries have increased (see e.g., Byrne et al, 2015). More and more people have a parent, sibling, spouse, or other family member in prison. A growing body of research examines the potential negative consequences of experiencing the imprisonment of a family member, across various life domains. The physical health of these family mem bers, is a topic that remains relatively understudied. Under standing the potential for health impacts on families of prisoners is important as poor health may compromise the capacity for family members to care for themselves and any children in the household, impact employment and earning capacity and subsequent financial distress, and place additional burdens and costs on health systems and services. The focus of the current study is on changes in physical health among family members of Australian prisoners
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