Hostname: page-component-cc8bf7c57-llmch Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-12T02:12:17.502Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Multisite randomized efficacy trial of educational materials for young children with incarcerated parents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 May 2020

Julie Poehlmann-Tynan Open the ORCID record for Julie Poehlmann-Tynan [Opens in a new window] ,
Hilary Cuthrell ,
Lindsay Weymouth ,
Cynthia Burnson ,
Lexi Frerks ,
Luke Muentner ,
Nicole Holder ,
Zoe Milavetz ,
Lauren Lauter  and
Lauren Hindt
...Show all authors
Julie Poehlmann-Tynan*
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Hilary Cuthrell
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Lindsay Weymouth
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Cynthia Burnson
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Lexi Frerks
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Luke Muentner
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Nicole Holder
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Zoe Milavetz
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Lauren Lauter
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Lauren Hindt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA
Laurel Davis
Affiliation:
Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Erin Schubert
Affiliation:
Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Rebecca Shlafer
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Julie Poehlmann-Tynan, Dorothy A. O'Brien Professor of Human Ecology, Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1300 Linden Drive, Madison, WI53706; E-mail: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Although children with incarcerated parents exhibit more behavior problems, health concerns, and academic difficulties than their peers, few interventions or resources are available to support affected children. This randomized, controlled, multisite efficacy trial evaluated Sesame Street’s "Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration" initiative with children aged 3 to 8 years with a jailed father. Seventy-one diverse children and their caregivers were randomized to an educational outreach group (n = 32) or wait list control group (n = 39). Researchers observed children during jail visits and interviewed caregivers by phone 2 and 4 weeks later. The effects of the intervention on children’s behavior and emotions occurring during a jail visit depended on what children had been told about the father’s incarceration. Children who were told honest, developmentally appropriate explanations showed less negative affect at entry, an increase in negative affect when the intervention was administered, and a decrease in negative affect during the visit. Intervention group children who were told distortions, nothing, or explanations that were not developmentally appropriate showed more negative affect initially, and their negative affect remained relatively stable during their time in the jail. In addition, children who were told the simple, honest truth about the parent’s incarceration (a recommendation in the educational materials) exhibited more positive affect during the visit, with a medium effect size. Caregivers in the educational outreach group reported more positive change in how they talked to children about the incarceration over time compared to the control group.

Keywords

childeducational materialsjail visitparental incarceration
Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , February 2021 , pp. 323 - 339
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arditti, J. A. (2003). Locked doors and glass walls: Family visiting at a local jail. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 8, 115–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arditti, J. A. (2016). A family stress-proximal process model for understanding the effects of parental incarceration on children and their families. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 5, 65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arditti, J. A., Lambert-Shute, J., & Joest, K. (2003). Saturday morning at the jail: Implications of incarceration for families and children. Family Relations, 52, 195–204. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2003.00195.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation: Anxiety and anger. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Bretherton, I. (1990). Communication patterns, internal working models, and the intergenerational transmission of attachment relationships. Infant Mental Health Journal, 11, 237–252.3.0.CO;2-X>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bretherton, I. (1995). A communication perspective on attachment relationships and internal working models. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 60, 310–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bretherton, I., & Page, T. (2004). Shared or conflicting working models? Relationships in postdivorce families seen through the eyes of mothers and their preschool children. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 551–575.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dallaire, D. H., & Wilson, L. C. (2010). The relation of exposure to parental criminal activity, arrest, and sentencing to children's maladjustment. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 404–418. doi:10.1007/s10826-009-9311-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dallaire, D. H., Zeman, J., & Thrash, T. (2015). Differential effects of type of children's contact with their jailed mothers and children's behavior problems. In Poehlmann, J. (Ed.), Children's contact with incarcerated parents (pp. 23–38). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eddy, J. M., Martinez, C. R., & Burraston, B. (2013). VI. A randomized controlled trial of a parent management training program for incarcerated parents: Proximal impacts. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 78, 75–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Enos, S. (2001). Mothering from the inside: Parenting in a women's prison. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.Google Scholar
Glaze, L. E., & Maruschak, L. M. (2008). Parents in prison and their minor children. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodman, R. (1997). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 581–586.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1337–1345.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harm, N. J., & Phillips, S. D. (1998). Helping children cope with the trauma of parental arrest. Interdisciplinary Report on At-Risk Children and Families, 1, 35–36.Google Scholar
Murphey, D., & Cooper, P. M. (2015). Parents behind bars: What happens to their children? Washington, DC: Child Trends.Google Scholar
Phillips, S. D., & Zhao, J. (2010). The relationship between witnessing arrests and elevated symptoms of posttraumatic stress: Findings from a national study of children involved in the child welfare system. Children and Youth Services Review, 32, 1246–1254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poehlmann-Tynan, J., & Arditti, J. A. (2017). Developmental and family perspectives on incarcerated parents. In Haskins, A. R., & Poehlmann-Tynan, J. (Eds.), When parents are incarcerated: Interdisciplinary research and interventions to support children. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Poehlmann-Tynan, J., Burnson, C., Weymouth, L. A., & Runion, H. (2017). Attachment in young children with incarcerated fathers. Development and Psychopathology, 29, 389–404.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Poehlmann-Tynan, J., & Eddy, J. M. (2019). A research and intervention agenda for children with incarcerated parents and their families. In Poehlmann-Tynan, J., & Eddy, J. M. (Eds.), Handbook on children with incarcerated parents (2nd ed.). New York: Springer Internatonal.Google Scholar
Poehlmann-Tynan, J., & Protzl, K. (2019). Parent-child visits when parents are incarcerated in prison or jail. In Eddy, J. M., & Poehlmann-Tynan, J. (Eds.), Handbook on children with incarcerated parents (2nd ed.). New York: Springer International.Google Scholar
Poehlmann-Tynan, J., Runion, H., Burnson, C., Maleck, S., Weymouth, L., Pettit, K., & Huser, M. (2015). Young children’s behavioral and emotional reactions to plexiglas and video visits with jailed parents. Advances in Child and Family Policy and Practice, Monograph of Division 27 of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Poehlmann, J. (2005). Representations of attachment relationships in children of incarcerated mothers. Child Development, 76, 679–696.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Poehlmann, J. (2012). Jail-Prison Observation Checklist. Unpublished manuscript, University of Wisconsin–Madison.Google Scholar
Poehlmann, J., Dallaire, D., Loper, A. B., & Shear, L. D. (2010). Children’s contact with their incarcerated parents: Research findings and recommendations. American Psychologist, 65, 575–598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Puddefoot, G., & Foster, L. K. (2007). Keeping children safe when their parents are arrested: Local approaches that work (Vol. 7, No. 6). Sacramento, CA: California State Library– California Research Bureau.Google Scholar
Shlafer, R., Duwe, G., & Hindt, L. (2019). Parents in prison and their minor children: Comparisons between state and national estimates. Prison Journal, 99, 310–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shlafer, R. J., Loper, A. B., & Schillmoeller, L. (2015). Introduction and literature review: Is parent–child contact during parental incarceration beneficial? In Poehlmann, J. (Ed.), Children's contact with incarcerated parents (pp. 1–21). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International.Google Scholar
Shlafer, R. J., & Poehlmann, J. (2010). Attachment and caregiving relationships in families affected by parental incarceration. Attachment and Human Development, 12, 395–415.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shlafer, R. J., Wanous, A. A., & Schubert, E. C. (2017). Statewide dissemination of Sesame Street resources for families affected by incarceration. Health Promotion Practice, 18, 298–305.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tasca, M. (2016). The gatekeepers of contact. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43, 739–758.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turney, K. (2017). The unequal consequences of mass incarceration for children. Demography, 54, 361–389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turney, K., & Haskins, A. R. (2019). Parental incarceration and children's well-being: Findings from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. In Eddy, J. M., & Poehlmann-Tynan, J. (Eds.), Handbook on children with incarcerated Parents (2nd ed, pp. 53–64). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wakefield, S., & Wildeman, C. J. (2014). Children of the prison boom: Mass incarceration and the future of American inequality. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Wildeman, C. (2009). Parental imprisonment, the prison boom, and the concentration of childhood disadvantage. Demography, 46, 265–280.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wildeman, C. (2010). Paternal incarceration and children's physically aggressive behaviors: Evidence from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Social Forces, 89, 285–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wildeman, C., Haskins, A. R., & Poehlmann-Tynan, J. (Eds.). (2017). When parents are incarcerated: Interdisciplinary research and interventions to support children. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Wildeman, C., & Wang, E. A. (2017). Mass incarceration, public health, and widening inequality in the USA. Lancet, 389, 1464–1474.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zeng, Z. (2018). Jail inmates in 2016. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.Google Scholar