Journal of Forensic Psychology

Children's Psychological Challenges in the Presence of Incarcerated Parents

Renee Gudjonsson^* Department of Clinical Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, China
^*Correspondence: Renee Gudjonsson, Department of Clinical Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, China, Email:

Received: 01-Feb-2023, Manuscript No. JFPY-23-20084; Editor assigned: 03-Feb-2023, Pre QC No. JFPY-23-20084 (PQ); Reviewed: 17-Feb-2023, QC No. JFPY-23-20084; Revised: 24-Feb-2023, Manuscript No. JFPY-23-20084 (R); Published: 03-Mar-2023, DOI: 10.35248/2475-319X.23.8.270

Description

Children whose parents are involved in the criminal justice system in particular face challenges and challenges such as psychological stress, antisocial behaviour, school suspension or expulsion, financial hardship, and criminal participation. It is difficult to predict how a child would fare if a parent were incarcerated intermittently or continuously, and research on the risk factors for these children has produced contradicting results. Although every situation is distinct and every child responds differently, research has shown that a parent's incarceration poses multiple risks to a child's emotional, physical, educational, and financial well-being. It is particularly feared that the apprehend a parent may start a cycle of intergenerational criminal behaviour. Previous study found that there is an average six-fold increase in the likelihood that children of imprisoned parents might become prisoners. Risk factors don't always manifest in all children, and it can be challenging to predict or understand these behaviours. For instance, it was found in one study that children of incarcerated women had significantly higher rates of incarceration as well as earlier and more frequent arrests than children of imprisoned parents. This distinction would suggest that mothers typically act as their children's major support system, even if further research is needed on this connection. Research on depression and aggressive behaviour in children of incarcerated parents is contradictory, with notable variations by gender, age, race, and living conditions. One study, for instance, found that children of colour and those whose parents are both incarcerated have much greater rates of higher level of sadness.

Another study found no consistent correlation between parental incarceration and a rise in child violence, but the findings were incredibly contradictory. 20% of the sample's kids did see an increase in aggression; boys with a history of hostility before a parent's incarceration were especially susceptible to this trend. It's intriguing to see that there were some reductions in aggression: About 8% of the children saw a return to a stable home if their father had drug and alcohol problems and had lived in the home before being imprisoned. Yet, research shows that the strength or fragility of the parent-child relationship and the calibre of the child's and family's social support system have a substantial impact on a child's ability to overcome challenges and prosper in life. Therefore, it is crucial that correctional practitioners establish strong partnerships with law enforcement, public schools, and child welfare organisations in order to comprehend the specific dynamics of the family in question and attempt to ensure a safety net for the child as well as a successful re-entry for the incarcerated parent. Antisocial behaviour, which encompasses a wide variety of acts that challenge social norms, including criminal behaviour and persistent dishonesty, appears to be the result of parental incarceration that occurs the most frequently. In one meta-analysis of 40 studies on children of incarcerated parents, antisocial behaviours were found to be more common than any other characteristics, including mental health issues and drug use. In order to build on those findings, a following study looked at the presence of numerous potentially damaging childhood experiences, such as imprisonment. A child may be more likely to face severe depression and other issues that persist into adulthood, such as substance addiction, sexually transmitted diseases, and suicidal thoughts, if they had a number of adverse childhood experiences throughout their development, according to the study. Antisocial behaviour brought on by parental incarceration may hinder a child's capacity to recover from other traumatic experiences, which could worsen the effects of exposure to other issues.