Date
4-7-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Laura Rolen
Keywords
parental incarceration, incarceration, lived experiences, children, children of incarcerated parents
Disciplines
Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Young, Shatoya L., "Parental Incarceration: The Lived Experiences of Those Left Behind" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8067.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8067
Abstract
Incarceration in the United States is being touted as an obscure public health crisis. Approximately 47% of male incarcerated individuals and 58% of female incarcerated individuals are parents to minors. The number of children who have experienced parental incarceration at any point in their lives is believed to be more than 5 million. Incarceration negatively impacts the lives of children, especially when children lack an understanding of their parents' incarceration. There are risk factors that increase the possibility of adverse outcomes for children of incarcerated parents, and protective factors that mitigate the risk of poor outcomes. Many of the stories of these children's lived experiences go untold. This research sought to better comprehend the lived experiences of those impacted by parental incarceration by examining their knowledge of their parents’ incarceration at the time it occurred, whether the information received was developmentally appropriate, their level of contact with their incarcerated parent, and whether they received or participated in programs aimed at supporting their overall wellbeing. The data obtained from this study were analyzed qualitatively. Themes identified in the current study found that parental incarceration impacts individuals across different points in their childhood or adolescence, individuals from different ethnic and racial backgrounds, and gender. The psychological impact on the (COIP), behaviors of (COIP) (e.g., externalizing, internalizing, attention, and thought behaviors), exposure to other adverse experiences, and the type of parenting received by their incarcerated parent, before, during, and after their incarceration were themes identified in the current study.
