Open this publication in new window or tab >>2018 (English)In: International Journal of Prisoner Health, ISSN 1744-9200, E-ISSN 1744-9219, Vol. 14, no 1, p. 34-45Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore whether young adults who had a parent in prison while growing up in Sweden are disadvantaged in terms of parental support, school well-being and functioning, and socioemotional and/or behavioral problems, compared to young adults whose parents were not in prison when they were a child.
Design/methodology/approach: Retrospective self-report information about parental imprisonment and childhood and adulthood welfare was collected from 2,500 Swedish young adults as part of the RESUME project. The 52 of these who had had a parent in prison during their childhood were compared to the young adults who had not had a parent in prison, by measuring differences concerning their family relations, school well-being, and well-being as adults, and the risk of some events occurring later in life.
Findings: Findings Having had a parent in prison was significantly related to feeling less loved during childhood, and having less contact and support from both parents during adulthood, in comparison with other young adults. In school they experienced lower well-being and were more often placed in special education than other children. They were at greater risk of not attending higher education, of planning or attempting suicide, and of being hospitalized for mental health problems than the rest of the young adults.
Research limitations/implications: Even taking into consideration the complexity of childhood conditions and the limitations of retrospective data, prison and social-services professionals should pay special attention to the fact that a child has a parent in prison.
Originality/value: This is a unique study of young adults' experiences of a childhood with parent in prison.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2018
Keywords
Young adults; Prison; Relationships; Well-being; Children; Parent
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-64684 (URN)10.1108/IJPH-12-2016-0074 (DOI)000426531800005 ()29480768 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85042700733 (Scopus ID)
2018-01-302018-01-302022-01-10Bibliographically approved