Poster #36 - Differences in adverse childhood experiences and demographic risks based on parent incarceration

• In Event: Poster Session 08

Abstract

Parental incarceration is an adverse childhood experience (ACE) of parental separation, social isolation, and stigma (Phillips, et al., 2006). Children of incarcerated parents also experience additional family functioning ACEs (Wildeman, et al., 2012), poverty, and housing instability (deVuono-powell, 2015) disproportionately affecting Black and Latino children. Children with incarcerated parents are five times more likely to have additional ACEs than peers (Turney, 2018). Families with an incarcerated member who are already vulnerable to economic instability and lack of mental health access experience further destabilization and multiplied adversity, with children aged six or younger the most vulnerable (Sykes & Pettit, 2014; Trent, et al., 2019). Research on preschool children reveals poorer school readiness in national samples (Testa & Jackson, 2021) as well as negative behavioral outcomes in Head Start children (Ziv et al, 2010). Risks and outcomes can be heterogenous by age and little is known about infant and toddler risk, especially low-income populations.

This study examined differences in ACEs and demographic risk factors of Early Head Start (EHS)-home based children. The purpose of the study was to better understand service and intervention needs for infants and toddlers with an incarcerated parent and who live in poverty. Administrative data was used from children enrolled between 2017-2019 (n=88) at one EHS grantee with 23.7% of children with a legal system involved parent (n=21) at risk of or already incarcerated (See Table 1).

ACEs scores are from the Family Map Inventory-Infant Toddler (FMI-IT; Whiteside-Mansell, et al., 2013) a validated strengths and needs assessment administered within 60 days enrollment in a one hour interview. FMI-IT ACEs are a compilation of questions that approximate to ACEs guiding intervention (McKelvey, et al., 2016). Demographic risk data was collected from enrollment forms. The demographic risk score is from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP; Kisker, et al., 2004) with five risks: single parent, teen parent, no high school diploma nor GED, unemployed nor in school/training, and welfare recipient. Demographic risks are associated with family engagement in EHS services.

This study used independent samples t- tests between the two groups. The dependent variables were the demographic risk score, ACE score, maltreatment ACE score, and family functioning ACE score, and the demographic risk score. Individual maltreatment ACEs are physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and physical and emotional neglect. Individual family functioning ACEs are parent legal system involvement, mental health, substance abuse, and family violence. Table 2 presents dependent variable means and standard deviations for the two groups. Results showed children with a legal system involved parent having significantly higher scores across each dependent variable: ACE scores (t = -7.61, df [26], p < .001, d = 1.29); maltreatment scores (t = -4.22, df [26], p < .001, d = .88); family functioning scores (t = -8.43, df [25], p < .001, d = .70); and demographic risk scores (t = -2.28, df [25], p < .05, d = .82). Findings indicate that children with incarcerated parents will need more services, interventions, and stronger strategies for family engagement.

Authors

• Deborah Drain, University of Delaware
  Presenting Author

• Rena Hallam, University of Delaware