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Risk, Protection, and Adjustment among Youth with Incarcerated and Non-Resident Parents: A Mixed-Methods Study

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An Author Correction to this article was published on 26 December 2018

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Abstract

Parental incarceration has been increasingly recognized as a significant threat to the development and well-being of millions of American children and youth. After decades of documenting problems among youth with incarcerated parents, researchers have now started to emphasize the critical need for research on heterogeneity and competence in this population. Towards this end, we used a mixed-methods approach to identify different subgroups of youth with incarcerated and non-resident parents (n = 26) and to explore potential patterns of individual and family factors across groups. Cluster analysis suggested four different subgroups of youth that varied in the extent to which they exhibited behavior problems and competence. The majority of youth were classified as “adjusted” or “striving”, with comparatively few categorized as either “thriving” or “vulnerable”. Thematic analysis of qualitative data suggested that groups varied in terms of the extent to which they experienced economic and residential instability and challenges related to their social location, as well as caregiver positive expressiveness, agency, and social support. Results further indicated that although parental incarceration may be a part of an overall profile of risk, it does not appear to consistently distinguish youth separated from parents for different reasons in terms of patterns of adjustment and competence.

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Change history

  • 26 December 2018

    The original version of this manuscript contained an error in the reference for our general life events measure. General life events were assessed using the Life Events and Circumstances Checklist (LEC; Work, Cowen, Parker & Wyman, 1990) rather than the Coddington Life Events Scale (CLES; Coddington, 1972). A corrected description of the measure is provided below.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is based on data from a pilot study funded by the Institute of Society, Culture, and Environment (ISCE) at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). The authors would like to thank the children and caregivers who participated in this study as well as the community-based organization that helped us recruit participants. We are also grateful to Amanda Capannola, Macy Halladay, Rachel Harr, and Lexi Jantz for their research assistance and to Amy Rauer for helpful comments on an earlier draft.

Author Contributions

E. I. J.: Contributed to study design, conducted quantitative and qualitative data analyses, and wrote the paper. J. A.: designed and executed the study, contributed to the qualitative analyses, and collaborated in the writing and editing of the manuscript. C. M.: conducted qualitative analyses and edited drafts of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

    Elizabeth I. Johnson

  2. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, USA

    Joyce A. Arditti & Casey M. McGregor

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  1. Elizabeth I. Johnson
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Correspondence to Elizabeth I. Johnson.

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Johnson, E.I., Arditti, J.A. & McGregor, C.M. Risk, Protection, and Adjustment among Youth with Incarcerated and Non-Resident Parents: A Mixed-Methods Study. J Child Fam Stud 27, 1914–1928 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1045-0

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