The health effects of familial incarceration from adolescence through early adulthood.
 
Guevara Galicia, Maria, G; Shanazari, Eric; Becerra, Lizbeth; Nuñez, Velia; Robles, Cynthia; Forster, Myriam; Unger, Jennifer
 
Background: Over 2.5 million youth in the US, especially youth living in underserved communities of color, have an incarcerated family member. According to recent data in California, across all populations, Hispanics have experienced the highest increase in felony convictions. Despite considerable research on the effect of criminal justice involvement on incarcerated adults, less is known about the impact on their children. This study examines the long-term mental health effects of familial incarceration from adolescence to early adulthood.
 
Methods: Data are from a longitudinal health study of Hispanic youth in Southern California (n=1,094). The first wave of data collection occurred when students were in high school (age 15) and the last wave while in early adulthood (age 25). Generalized linear models assessed the association between familial incarcerated during adolescence and participants’ depression and perceived stress at age 15 and age 25, adjusting for gender, country of birth, parent education, cultural identity, and income in young adulthood.
 
Results: Over half of the respondents were female (61%) and 25% reported having an incarcerated family member prior to age 18. At age 15, students with at least one family member incarcerated had 1.76 times odds of depression [CI: 1.24—2.48] and significantly higher perceived stress scores (β=0.65, SE=0.44) than students who did not have an incarcerated family member. Ten years later, the young adults who experienced familial incarceration prior to age 18 continued to be at greater risk for depression [OR: 1.58, CI: 1.08—2.31] and higher perceived stress (β=0.69, SE=0.31) than their peers.
 
Conclusion: Nationally, there are few school- based support programs tailored to this youth populations and none have been evaluated. Future public health research needs to consider the stressors associated with familial incarceration and develop evidence based programs that facilitate resilience and thriving among vulnerable youth.