Introduction
Incarceration significantly impacts a person, but their children suffer even more due to the emotional vulnerability of their age. The critical subject of the assessment is the mental health of children with incarcerated parents. The importance and substantiality of parental influence on children cannot be overstated. Not only an incarcerated parent is absent from their child’s life, but these children become more vulnerable to the situations affecting their mental health and more exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which impact their lives and development.
Discussion and Analysis
Firstly, children with incarcerated parents risk developing mental health issues. According to the investigation conducted by Davis and Shlafer, children “with incarcerated parents are at elevated risk for mental health problems, and strong parent-child relationships partially buffer children from risk” (Davis & Shlafer, 2017, p. 120). Evidence directly supports the claim regarding vulnerability and potential risks in the psychological development of children. The number of children who develop mental health problems is significantly higher among those whose parents are incarcerated compared to those who live in families where both parents live with the child. The psychological connection between a parent and a child is essential in forming the feeling of stability and security (Davis & Shlafer, 2017). Therefore, the relationship between the risks of the development of psychological problems among children and the incarcerated parent status is direct.
Secondly, the increasing number of adult people who are incarcerated leads to the augmentation of children with mental health issues. As a result, their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development might be negatively affected by these traumatic events in their children. When they become adults, they are more likely to develop anti-social behaviors and have problems with communication and trust. It is critical to mention that incarceration is stigmatized in society, and children whose parent is imprisoned, feel vulnerable. Moreover, their insecurity is enhanced because their caregiver is absent, the family loses the source of income, and the visits to the incarcerated parent are associated with the social stigma and shame (Davis & Shlafer, 2017). These aspects allow the researchers to state that the psychological well-being of children who have incarcerated parents is at risk, and its consequences are adverse.
Children with incarcerated parents are significantly more likely to experience adverse childhood experiences. Turney claims that “children of incarcerated parents are disproportionately exposed to other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), defined as potentially stressful or traumatic events such as abuse or neglect” (Turney, 2018, p. 218). Evidence directly supports the claim that incarcerated parents are more prone to abuse their children due to the stressful events that happen in their lives. It is vital to remember that imprisonment severely impacts the psyche of the adult individual, who has problems with finding a job after incarceration and experiencing social stigma (Turney, 2018). Therefore, the consequences of imprisonment have a destructive impact on the adult’s psyche, which leads to problems in communication with children who feel that their parent has difficulties in life.
Another critical detail is the gender difference in the behavior of incarcerated parents and distinct reactions to communicating with their children. According to the estimates, social workers and psychologists focus on helping men improve their psychological state after incarceration without working with women. Men tend to have a higher level of aggression and are more likely to abuse children physically and verbally after imprisonment. At the same time, women after incarceration also experience significant problems with aggression, anxiety, and depression that harm their interaction with children. Psychologists and social workers rarely focus on working with women after imprisonment, leading to increased abuse at home (Turney, 2018). Therefore, parental incarceration has adverse outcomes in the case when the man and the woman were imprisoned due to their unstable psychological state and higher aggression toward children.
Mental health issues of children of incarcerated parents can last throughout their lifetime. Turney and Goodsell suggest that “parental incarceration impairs children’s well-being throughout the life course” (Turney & Goodsell, 2018, p. 147). The source directly supports the claim of the long-lasting effect of parental incarceration on children’s mental health. As was previously mentioned in the paper, these children have problems with communication with peers, trust, and behavioral patterns. They are also often the victims of physical or psychological abuse from the parent after incarceration due to the inability of the adult person to cope with the stressful situation.
At the same time, the main problem, in this case, is not the fact of the parental incarceration but the inability of the adult individual to control aggression. Morgan-Mullane writes that mental health issues are not the result of parental incarceration but the consequence of life with abusive parents, while the punitive measure exacerbates the condition (Morgan-Mullane, 2017). It is possible to describe the adverse outcomes for children after their parent’s incarceration in the following way:
“Sometimes children are left along to fend for themselves. Sometimes they are put in the back of a police station to await relatives. Sometimes they are taken to juvenile facilities to await a foster placement. So the incarceration cycle begins in a deeply traumatic way: the children are terrorized at the intrusion of heavily armed police officers and watch their parents, taken away, often kicking and screaming. Then they are abandoned either to fend for themselves or to be subjected to an arrest-like procedure” (Morgan-Mullane, 2017, p. 3).
Therefore, the consequences for children in these families are destructive to the unstable and developing psyche. The arrest and the subsequent incarceration of the parent lead to adverse effects for the child, who has to cope with the stress of cultural stigma, problems with money, and psychological troubles their parent experiences after imprisonment. In all cases, social workers and psychologists should pay precise attention to adult people who have children after their release from prison due to increased stress and aggression. The chances that they might abuse their children at home due to their psychological instability are comparatively higher after incarceration because it enhances their negative traits of character.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the essential claim is that incarceration significantly impacts children’s well-being. It makes children more prone to develop mental health problems and experience child abuse with lasting effects. The justice system must be aware of such consequences when imposing a punitive measure on an incarcerated person. Moreover, it is essential to provide parents with psychological assistance after imprisonment to help them minimize the adverse effects of stress and stigma. Therefore, there is the vital importance of paying precise attention to the psychological state of the child whose parent is incarcerated and controlling the life of the minor with the parent after imprisonment.
References
Davis, L., & Shlafer, R. J. (2017). Mental health of adolescents with currently and formerly incarcerated parents. Journal of Adolescence, 54, 120-134. Web.
Morgan-Mullane, A. (2017). Trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy with children of incarcerated parents. Clinical Social Work Journal, 46, 200-209. Web.
Turney, K. (2018). Adverse childhood experiences among children of incarcerated parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 89, 218-225. Web.
Turney, K., & Goodsell, R. (2018). Parental incarceration and children’s wellbeing. The Future of Children, 28(1), 147-164. Web.