Experiencing family incarceration during childhood: Implications for the next generation

Abstract

The experience of parental incarceration has been linked to increased risk for developmental and health problems. For children, parental incarceration is associated with further cumulative risk for additional adverse exposures. Most studies on parental incarceration focus on global mental and physical health during childhood, but there is scant research on adults who experienced parental incarceration during childhood. Perinatal stress, especially pregnancy-specific stress, has been linked to pre-term delivery, post-natal depression and child neurological development. This study examines the association between parental incarceration during childhood and pregnancy-specific stress.