Parental incarceration as a predictor of developmental trajectories of externalizing behaviors across adolescence

“I've got to break the cycle for my son, so he doesn't go to juvie like his pops”: Interrupting intergenerational patterns of incarceration

“…In general, research shows that parental incarceration has the potential to negatively affect many educational outcomes among the children of incarcerated parents, including a greater risk of dropping out, lower grades, and lower test scores (Murray et al, 2012; Nichols et al, 2016). Research has found that children with incarcerated parents are more likely to experience externalizing behaviors (Murray et al, 2012) such as hyperactivity, disruptive behaviors, and aggression (Kjellstrand et al, 2019), as well as conduct problems at school. In fact, research has suggested that about half of children with incarcerated parents experience school behavioral problems (Hanlon et al, 2005).…”

“…Kjellstrand et al (2019) examined the role of parental incarceration on internalizing behaviors including substance use. They identified distinct “trajectories” of internalizing problems (labeled as “low‐stable,” “moderate‐increasing,” “high‐decreasing,” and “preadolescent‐limited”) for youth.…”

“…More specifically, children of incarcerated parents accounted for about one‐third of participants in the ‘moderate‐increasing’ category. Children in this category were two times more likely to use any alcohol regularly and use marijuana by the age of 16, and three times more likely to use tobacco, compared to those in the ‘low‐stable’ category (Kjellstrand et al, 2019). Moreover, children with incarcerated parents were also overrepresented in the ‘preadolescent‐limited’ trajectory.…”

“…Children on this trajectory were more likely to consume more beer, tobacco, and marijuana during adolescence than the lowest risk group. By the age of 16, they were three times more likely to use alcohol regularly, nearly four times as likely to use tobacco, and over six times more likely to use marijuana, compared to those in the ‘low‐stable’ group (Kjellstrand et al, 2019).…”

“…Research across disciplines has investigated the effects of parental incarceration over the last several decades, finding that children of incarcerated parents display higher levels of substance use, internalizing and externalizing harmful behaviors, emotional and psychological instability, negative labor market outcomes, problems in school, and lower overall educational attainment (Arditti & Few, 2006; Haskins, Sørensen, & Soule, 2014; Murray, Loeber, & Pardini, 2012). Children of incarcerated parents also experience lower levels of family stability, increased challenges with physical and mental health, and higher levels of poverty compared to their peers (Kjellstrand, Yu, & Eddy, 2019; Wildeman & Muller, 2012). Additionally, parental incarceration is related to more adverse childhood outcomes than other types of parental separation (Murray & Farrington, 2005), drastically affecting the financial situation of families, and traumatizing children in the same way as abuse and domestic violence, and with the same lasting negative impacts (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2016).…”