Strong Evidence

The latest research study found that adults who experienced parental incarceration before age 18 are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by mid-life compared to their peers. The study was published in The Journal of Primary Care & Community Health.

According to research, the results were consistent whether it was the mother or father incarcerated, or whether the child was a boy or girl. The researchers used a longitudinal dataset that has been following thousands of individuals across the U.S. since they were adolescents.

Professor Berkeley Franz, Ph.d. spear-headed the study at Ohio University. He stated, “When a parent is incarcerated, it can be a very traumatic experience for a child. There is often confusion, financial stress and physical displacement due to losing a primary caregiver. Our study shows the effects of this experience can last beyond childhood into middle age.”

The United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Subsequently, over 5 million children have been affected by having a parent locked up. Parental incarceration is considered an adverse childhood experience, a type of trauma in early life that can affect long-term health. Other adverse childhood experiences include abuse, neglect and growing up in a household with parental substance use. 

The study calls for early intervention and trauma-informed support services for children of incarcerated parents and urges health care providers and policymakers to consider parental incarceration as a critical public health challenge.