Attention, Externalizing, and Internalizing Problems of Youth Exposed to Parental Incarceration

Abstract

Few studies have examined the effects of parental incarceration (PI) on outcomes above and beyond other risk and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The objectives of this study were to (1) the associations between PI and mental health problems (attention, externalizing, internalizing, and total behavioral problems) and (2) the mediating role of current socioeconomic status and cumulative ACEs. An observational and cross-sectional design was employed. Analyses included hierarchical multivariable linear regression modeling. The analytic sample included 613 adolescents (11–17 years). On average, youth exposed to PI experienced three times as many ACEs compared with youth unexposed. Youth exposed to PI were more likely to have behavioral problems than their unexposed peers. The main effect for all models was attenuated by current economic hardship as well as exposure to increasing numbers of ACEs. Exposure to PI can be viewed as a marker of accumulative risk for intervention since youth impacted by PI are more likely to experience behavioral difficulties and associated adverse childhood experiences. Due to the associated adversity that impact youth exposed to PI, mental health providers need to be able to identify and screen for symptoms associated with trauma.

Disclosure statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was completed in fulfillment of the first author’s doctoral dissertation. The parent studies were funded through the National Institute of Health: (1) Adolescent Health and Development in Context (Browning, 1R01DA032371) and (2) Linking Biological and Social Pathways to Adolescent Health and Well-Being (Ford, 1R21DA034960). The first author’s doctoral education was partially funded through the Graduate Areas of National Need fellowship awarded through The Ohio State University (Boch, 2017).