Baylor University Study Shows the Devastating Impact of Maternal Incarceration on Adolescents

In the past four decades, the number of women incarcerated has increased by more than 475 percent, rising from 26,326 in 1980 to 152,854 in 2020. Because the majority of imprisoned women are mothers, a conservative estimate indicates that at least one million American children have experienced maternal incarceration, and a substantial portion of them are adolescents.

Qianwei Zhao, an assistant professor and co-director of the Baylor IMPACT Lab at the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University, led a study that examined the impact of mothers’ prison incarceration on their adolescent children. The study found that:

* A significantly lower proportion of adolescents with maternal incarceration experiences ate breakfast at least four days a week than those without maternal incarceration experiences.
*A significantly higher proportion of them ate fast food for at least two days a week.
*A significantly higher proportion of them had at least two sweetened drinks per day.
*Adolescents with maternal incarceration experiences were significantly more likely to have problems staying asleep than those without maternal incarceration experiences.

While some prior programming has been developed to offer support groups and family skills training for these adolescents and their caregivers, the need continues for more programming focused on diet, exercise, and sleep. For example, additional support for these families might come in the form of nutrition education, access to healthy food through existing school programs, including breakfast during the school year and summer months, case management that links these families to counseling services, food banks, or other local nutrition programs, and additional accessible opportunities to become involved in sports or other physical activities.

“It is essential that researchers, scholars, and community members advocate for policy changes to fund such programs, given the increasing prevalence of maternal incarceration among adolescents in the U.S.,” Dr. Zhao said.

Dr. Zhao is a graduate of Shandong University of Finance and Economics in China. She holds a master of social work degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.

The full study, “Examining the Association Between Recent Maternal Incarceration and Adolescents’ Sleep Patterns, Dietary Behaviors, and Physical Activity Involvement,” was published in Societies, an International, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal of sociology. It may be accessed here.