Peer-reviewed article
After a childhood with a parent in prison – relationships and well-being as a child and young adult
Per Åke Nylander, Åsa Källström Cater, Karin Hellfeldt ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This Swedish study followed 2,500 young adults, comparing 52 who had a parent in prison during childhood with those who did not. Young adults with incarcerated parents reported feeling less loved as children, had less contact with both parents in adulthood, and experienced lower well-being at school. They were more likely to be placed in special education, less likely to pursue higher education, and had higher rates of suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and mental health hospitalizations.
Key points
- Young adults with an incarcerated parent reported feeling significantly less loved during childhood compared to peers
- They experienced lower school well-being and were more often placed in special education than other children
- They had significantly less parental contact and support in adulthood
- They were at greater risk of not attending higher education and of suicidal planning or attempts
- They had higher rates of hospitalization for mental health problems as young adults
Limitations
The study relied on retrospective self-report data collected years after childhood events, which may be subject to recall bias. The cross-sectional comparison does not establish causality, as parental imprisonment may be correlated with other risk factors affecting child well-being.
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether young adults who had a parent in prison while growing up in Sweden are disadvantaged in terms of parental support, school well-being and functioning, and socioemotional and/or behavioral problems, compared to young adults whose parents were not in prison when they were a child. Design/methodology/approach Retrospective self-report information about parental imprisonment and childhood and adulthood welfare was collected from 2,500 Swedish young adults as part of the RESUME project. Of these, 52 who had had a parent in prison during their childhood were compared to the young adults who had not had a parent in prison, by measuring differences concerning their family relations, school well-being, and well-being as adults, and the risk of some events occurring later in life. Findings Having had a parent in prison was significantly related to feeling less loved during childhood, and having less contact and support from both parents during adulthood, in comparison with other young adults. In school they experienced lower well-being and were more often placed in special education than other children. They were at greater risk of not attending higher education, of planning or attempting suicide, and of being hospitalized for mental health problems than the rest of the young adults. Research limitations/implications Taking into consideration the complexity of childhood conditions and the limitations of retrospective data, prison, and social-services, professionals should pay special attention to the fact that a child has a parent in prison. Originality/value This is a unique study of young adults' experiences of a childhood with parent in prison.