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Children of Imprisoned Parents and Their Coping Strategies: A Systematic Review

Author

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  • Stephanie Heinecke Thulstrup

    (Unit for Health Promotion Research, University of Southern Denmark, Niels Bohrs Vej 9-10, 6700 Esbjerg, Denmark)

  • Leena Eklund Karlsson

    (Unit for Health Promotion Research, University of Southern Denmark, Niels Bohrs Vej 9-10, 6700 Esbjerg, Denmark)

Abstract

Children of imprisoned parents have a two times greater risk of health problems, including difficulties in their environment, academic and behavioural problems as well as social stigma. Focusing on children who have parents in prison has not been a priority for research. This review aims to describe current knowledge on children who have imprisoned parents in a global context and highlight areas for additional research. This review highlights the coping strategies that children of imprisoned parents use and explores interventions that exist to support children of imprisoned parents. This review employed a qualitative narrative synthesis. The database search yielded 1989 articles, of which 11 met inclusion and quality criteria. Stigmatizing children due to parental imprisonment was a widespread problem. Children’s coping strategies included maintaining distance from the imprisoned parent, normalizing the parent’s situation and taking better control over their lives through distraction, sports, supportive people and therapy. Children received the best support in school-based interventions or mentoring programmes. The overall low quality of the included studies indicates a need for further research.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephanie Heinecke Thulstrup & Leena Eklund Karlsson, 2017. "Children of Imprisoned Parents and Their Coping Strategies: A Systematic Review," Societies, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:7:y:2017:i:2:p:15-:d:99483
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nesmith, Ande & Ruhland, Ebony, 2008. "Children of incarcerated parents: Challenges and resiliency, in their own words," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(10), pages 1119-1130, October.
    2. Foster, Holly, 2012. "The strains of maternal imprisonment: Importation and deprivation stressors for women and children," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 221-229.
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    Cited by:

    1. Obus, Elsia A. & Pequet, Allison & Cristian, Chloe R. & Garfinkle, Alexa & Pinto, Celeste A. & Gray, Sarah A.O., 2024. "Disrupting the family stress-proximal process: A scoping review of interventions for children with incarcerated parents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    2. Lee, Ji Sun & Jun, Myung Hee & Cui, Lina, 2025. "Surviving in the Darkness: Autobiographical insights of young adults who experienced parental incarceration in South Korea," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    3. Fabio Bento & Marco Tagliabue & Flora Lorenzo, 2020. "Organizational Silos: A Scoping Review Informed by a Behavioral Perspective on Systems and Networks," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-27, July.

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