Incapacitated Involvement: Incarceration and Fatherhood in Fragile Families at Age 9

Abstract

We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to expand knowledge about the impact of paternal incarceration on fathering in three specific ways: (a) we explore fathers’ involvement with children in middle childhood, (b) we examine the extent to which we observe similar reports of father involvement across mothers and fathers, and (c) we assess how paternal incarceration influences children’s own assessments of their relationships with their fathers. Results from propensity score models indicate that paternal incarceration is associated with decreased father involvement for children in middle childhood. Paternal incarceration has adverse effects on both mother and father reports of father involvement but the magnitude of the effect depends on which parent-report is considered. Interestingly, children’s assessments of their relationships with their fathers are relatively unaffected by fathers’ incarceration. Implications for research and policy regarding incarcerees’ families and children are discussed.