Knitting Parental Incarceration and Child Behavioral Consequences: Exploring the Missing Life Dynamics Mechanism - CANCELLED

• In Event: Applying Advanced Methods to Study Crime and Criminal Justice Issues in Asian Societies

Abstract

Parental incarceration (PI) is affecting the lives of an increasing number of children worldwide and becoming a severe dilemma. Although PI has become a novel phenomenon in law and social studies, academic research lacks a clear conceptualization and rigorous measurement scale of the construct. This research developed a measurement scale and unleashed a logical mechanism that explains how PI disrupts a child’s various life dimensions and leads to antisocial (ASB) and delinquent behaviors (DB). Besides, we also used several moderators to identify low and high boundary conditions that accelerate PI impacts. We applied qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection, including literature review, focus group discussions, and surveys. We collected three samples (n1 = 240, n2 = 207, n3 = 343) to develop and validate the measurement scale and confirm its predictivity validity. We used EFA and CFA for scale development and applied SEM to examine our conceptual model predictive power and identify influential factors as moderators. Our findings reveal that PI negatively influences a child’s various well-being dimensions. Social and emotional well-being significantly influence a child’s antisocial behaviors. However, material, social, and health well-being significantly influence a child’s delinquent behaviors. Material well-being impacts on DB are greater than the rest of life dimensions. Social well-being influence on ASB is higher than other well-being dynamics. The scale offers a framework for PI's future empirical research and provides a valuable tool for practitioners to get insight into PI and child’s ASBs and DBs.

Author

• Sughra Bibi, Zhejiang Sci-Tch University / Zhejiang University