Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026
09:03
Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism
Published on: March 27, 2012
46.6K
Formerly Incarcerated Parents and Their Children
Bruce Western1, Natalie Smith2
1Department of Sociology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. western@wjh.harvard.edu.
Demography
|May 18, 2018
Summary
Stable housing, not just income, is key for formerly incarcerated parents to maintain contact with children. Family complexity and lack of support reduce parent-child relationships.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Sociology
- Child Development
Background:
- Parental incarceration negatively impacts child well-being, often attributed to economic insecurity.
- Family complexity, such as multiple-partner fertility, may mitigate these effects, but is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between economic insecurity, family complexity, and parent-child contact for recently released parents.
- To identify factors influencing the frequency and quality of contact between formerly incarcerated parents and their children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a unique dataset with detailed information on economic insecurity and family complexity.
- Analyzed parent-child relationships among parents recently released from prison.
Main Results:
- Stable private housing, more than income, was significantly associated with close and regular parent-child contact.
- Multiple-partner fertility and lack of supportive family relationships were linked to reduced contact.
- Housing and family factors remained significant even after controlling for drug use and crime.
Conclusions:
- Material insecurity and complex family structures significantly constrain contact between formerly incarcerated parents and their children.
- Stable housing emerges as a critical factor for maintaining parent-child relationships post-incarceration.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
00:55Parental Care
12.8K
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
12.8K
01:27Parenting Styles
700
Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles — authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful, and permissive — each influence children's socio-emotional development differently.
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
700
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
269
Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
269
01:23Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
586
Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
586
01:27Parentral Nutrition: Centeral and Peripheral Parental Nutrition
994
Parenteral Nutrition (PN) delivers essential nutrients directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system. It is commonly used for individuals with severe digestive disorders or conditions that prevent normal nutrient absorption.
PN can be administered through two primary routes:
1. Central Parenteral Nutrition (CPN):
CPN involves delivering a high concentration of nutrients through a large vein. This is typically achieved using a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) or,...
PN can be administered through two primary routes:
1. Central Parenteral Nutrition (CPN):
CPN involves delivering a high concentration of nutrients through a large vein. This is typically achieved using a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) or,...
994
01:29Drug Dosing: Infants and Children
324
Pediatric patient dosages diverge from adults due to disparities in body surface area, total body water, and extracellular fluid per kilogram of body weight. The dosing regimen considers the variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology across distinct age groups, encompassing preterm newborns, infants, young children, older children, and adolescents. Calculation of pediatric patient doses is predicated on determining body surface area, which exhibits a superior correlation with the child's...
324