Parental incarceration and adolescent food insecurity

There is a causal relationship between parental incarceration (PI) and childhood food insecurity (FI). This is a pressing policy issue given that public assistance designed to curb hunger (i.e., Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is often revoked due to incarceration which, on top of the removal of a household income source, can significantly alter children's food access. Yet questions remain regarding the prevalence of FI among youth with incarcerated parents, as well as the interplay of parent-child coresidence, race/ethnicity, and geographic region.

Data come from the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey, a statewide sample of adolescents (N = 112,554). Youth self-reported experiences of PI, parent-child coresidence at the time of incarceration, past-month FI, and race/ethnicity. Based on school districts, regions were classified as city, suburb, town, or rural.

Youth with currently and formerly incarcerated parents reported significantly higher rates of FI (18.11% and 10.41%, respectively) compared to peers who never experienced PI (2.84%; ORs = 7.56 and 3.97, respectively). Among youth with currently incarcerated parents, rates of FI were highest among those who lived with the parent at the time of incarceration (21.79%) compared to those who did not (13.98%). Youth of color and city youth were more likely to experience FI in contexts of PI.

Findings extend the link between PI and child FI. The evidence is concerning given FI's heightened risk for chronic health conditions, which may be compounded by trauma and systemic injustice. This work has implications for policies that expand, rather than reduce, food access and financial assistance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).