Witnessing Parental Arrest As a Predictor of Child Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms During and After Parental Incarceration

Robyn E Metcalfe; Luke D Muentner; Claudia Reino; Maria L Schweer-Collins; Jean M Kjellstrand; J Mark Eddy

doi:10.1007/s40653-022-00490-1

Witnessing Parental Arrest As a Predictor of Child Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms During and After Parental Incarceration

J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2022 Sep 17;16(2):329-338. doi: 10.1007/s40653-022-00490-1. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Robyn E Metcalfe^{1

2}, Luke D Muentner³, Claudia Reino⁴, Maria L Schweer-Collins², Jean M Kjellstrand^{1

2}, J Mark Eddy⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, College of Education, University of Oregon, OR Eugene, USA.
² Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR USA.
³ Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
⁴ Texas Center for Equity Promotion, College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX USA.

Abstract

Purpose: One in fourteen children in the United States experiences the incarceration of a parent with whom they have lived. Although prior research has established that witnessing the arrest of a parent is a common occurrence for children of criminal justice-involved parents, child outcomes following such an event are understudied. Little is known about the long-term impacts of witnessing an arrest on children and the extent to which they may vary by child age.

Methods: Using longitudinal data from the Parent Child Study of mothers and fathers incarcerated in state prison, we examine the witnessing of parental arrest as an acute traumatic event and identify the extent to which this type of trauma predicts externalizing and internalizing symptoms for children during their parents' incarceration and following release.

Results: Witnessing a parent's arrest predicted greater internalizing behavior concerns while parents were incarcerated, with a greater magnitude of effect for children under eight years of age. Six months post-release of the parent, children younger than age eight who witnessed the arrest showed significantly higher internalizing and externalizing behaviors. No effect was found for children ages eight years or older.

Conclusion: Implications for future policies to reduce the likelihood of children witnessing parental arrests, as well as the potential benefit of screening for trauma when working with children with incarcerated parents, are discussed.

Keywords: Developmental psychology; adverse childhood experiences; clinical psychology; criminal justice reform; incarcerated parents; policing; post-traumatic stress disorder; psychopathology.

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Grants and funding

R01 MH065553/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States