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Positive, Negative, or Null? The Effects of Maternal Incarceration on Children’s Behavioral Problems

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  • Christopher Wildeman
  • Kristin Turney

Abstract

We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to consider the effects of maternal incarceration on 21 caregiver- and teacher-reported behavioral problems among 9-year-old children. The results suggest three primary conclusions. First, children of incarcerated mothers are a disadvantaged group that exhibit high levels of caregiver- and teacher-reported behavioral problems. Second, after we adjust for selection, the effects of maternal incarceration on children’s behavioral problems are consistently null (for 19 of 21 outcomes) and rarely positive (1 of 21) or negative (1 of 21), suggesting that the poor outcomes of these children are driven by disadvantages preceding maternal incarceration rather than incarceration. These effects, however, vary across race/ethnicity, with maternal incarceration diminishing caregiver-reported behavioral problems among non-Hispanic whites. Finally, in models considering both maternal and paternal incarceration, paternal incarceration is associated with more behavioral problems, which is consistent with previous research and suggests that the null effects of maternal incarceration are not artifacts of our sample or analytic decisions. Copyright Population Association of America 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Wildeman & Kristin Turney, 2014. "Positive, Negative, or Null? The Effects of Maternal Incarceration on Children’s Behavioral Problems," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(3), pages 1041-1068, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:51:y:2014:i:3:p:1041-1068
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-014-0291-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Amanda Geller & Irwin Garfinkel & Carey E. Cooper & Ronald B. Mincy, 2009. "Parental Incarceration and Child Well‐Being: Implications for Urban Families," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 90(5), pages 1186-1202, December.
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    3. Christopher Wildeman, 2009. "Parental imprisonment, the prison boom, and the concentration of childhood disadvantage," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 46(2), pages 265-280, May.
    4. Joseph J. Doyle Jr., 2008. "Child Protection and Adult Crime: Using Investigator Assignment to Estimate Causal Effects of Foster Care," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 116(4), pages 746-770, August.
    5. Reichman, Nancy E. & Teitler, Julien O. & Garfinkel, Irwin & McLanahan, Sara S., 2001. "Fragile Families: sample and design," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(4-5), pages 303-326.
    6. Hanlon, Thomas E. & Blatchley, Robert J. & Bennett-Sears, Terry & O'Grady, Kevin E. & Rose, Marc & Callaman, Jason M., 2005. "Vulnerability of children of incarcerated addict mothers: Implications for preventive intervention," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 67-84, January.
    7. Huebner, Beth M. & Gustafson, Regan, 2007. "The effect of maternal incarceration on adult offspring involvement in the criminal justice system," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 283-296.
    8. Christopher Swann & Michelle Sylvester, 2006. "The foster care crisis: What caused caseloads to grow," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(2), pages 309-335, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wade Jacobsen & Garrett Pace & Nayan Ramirez, 2016. "Even at a Young Age: Exclusionary School Discipline and Children’s Physically Aggressive Behaviors," Working Papers 16-04-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    2. Kristin Turney & Rachel E. Goldberg, 2019. "Paternal Incarceration and Early Sexual Onset Among Adolescents," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 38(1), pages 95-123, February.
    3. Bruce Western & Natalie Smith, 2018. "Formerly Incarcerated Parents and Their Children," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(3), pages 823-847, June.
    4. Sara Wakefield & Hedwig Lee & Christopher Wildeman, 2016. "Tough on Crime, Tough on Families? Criminal Justice and Family Life in America," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 665(1), pages 8-21, May.
    5. Kjellstrand, Jean & Yu, Gary & Eddy, J. Mark & Clark, Miriam & Jackson, Arriell, 2020. "The role of parental incarceration in predicting trajectories of child internalizing problems," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    6. Christopher Wildeman & Kristin Turney & Youngmin Yi, 2016. "Paternal Incarceration and Family Functioning," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 665(1), pages 80-97, May.
    7. Christopher Wildeman & Lars H. Andersen, 2015. "Cumulative risks of paternal and maternal incarceration in Denmark and the United States," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(57), pages 1567-1580.
    8. William J. Sabol, 2016. "Commentary: Could Linked Data Help Us to Better Understand the Macrolevel Consequences of Mass Imprisonment?," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 665(1), pages 213-221, May.
    9. Brielle Bryan, 2017. "Paternal Incarceration and Adolescent Social Network Disadvantage," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(4), pages 1477-1501, August.
    10. Zhao, Qianwei & Parrish, Danielle & He, Ning, 2023. "Maternal incarceration and adolescent girls’ risk of substance-exposed pregnancy, STIs, and HIV," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    11. Karen M. Davison & Carla D’Andreamatteo & Sabina Markham & Clifford Holloway & Gillian Marshall & Victoria L. Smye, 2019. "Food Security in the Context of Paternal Incarceration: Family Impact Perspectives," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-20, March.
    12. Kristin Turney, 2017. "The Unequal Consequences of Mass Incarceration for Children," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(1), pages 361-389, February.
    13. Woodard, Tracey & Copp, Jennifer E., 2016. "Maternal incarceration and children's delinquent involvement: The role of sibling relationships," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 340-348.
    14. Zhao, Qianwei & Cepeda, Alice & Chou, Chih-Ping & Valdez, Avelardo, 2020. "Maternal incarceration trajectories and the intergenerational transmission of imprisonment: A nationwide study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).

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