Parents’ incarceration may put kids at higher risk for suicidal thoughts

Key takeaways:

• Children whose parents had been incarcerated or arrested had a higher risk for suicidal ideation.
• The findings align with those from previous studies.
• Black children were disproportionately affected.

Preteens whose parents were incarcerated or arrested were more likely to experience suicidal ideation, according to research published in Pediatrics.

Extensive research demonstrates that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including parental incarceration, abuse, neglect and household dysfunction, can increase the risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among youth, according to one of the study’s authors.

“Less is known about the role of specific ACEs and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, especially amongst preadolescent youth,” Lilian G. Bravo, PhD, RN, a postdoctoral fellow in the National Clinician Scholars Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Healio. “We focused on parental incarceration as it disrupts attachment between children and their caregivers,” which is “a risk factor for suicide.” She also explained that parental incarceration “disproportionately affects Black youth,” a population with “rising rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the U.S.”

According to Bravo, the researchers also sought to examine the “buffering” effects of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) — close friendships with peers and living in safe neighborhoods, for example — which she said can promote resilience and reduce the risk for adverse health outcomes.

“We thought it would also be important to not only examine risk factors, but also examine protective factors in the context of suicide risk,” Bravo said.

Bravo and colleagues used a sample of 11- and 12-year-old children from the nationally representative Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to examine the relationship between parental arrests and incarceration and risk factors for suicide among children, such as ideation and attempts, while controlling for other ACEs.

“We also tested for a moderating relationship with [a] number of PCEs to understand whether the number of PCEs could buffer the effects of parental incarceration or arrests, reducing risk for suicidal ideation and attempts,” Bravo said.

Researchers examined data from 10,532 children who participated in the ABCD study and found that 6.5% of reported parental incarceration and 12% reported parental arrest. Of these children, 4.7% reported suicidal ideation. The researchers calculated that children whose parents had been incarcerated had an RR of suicidal ideation of 1.74 (95% CI, 1.32-2.31). Children whose parents had been arrested had an RR of suicidal ideation of 1.89 (95% CI, 1.53-2.37) and an RR of suicide attempt of 2.69 (95% CI, 1.7-4.25). They found no association between parental incarceration or arrest and nonsuicidal self-injury.

“Our study found that parental incarceration and arrests were associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation and attempts among preadolescent youth — a finding that aligns with previous studies in other adolescent and adult age groups,” Bravo said.

In addition, the researchers found that Black youth more frequently experienced parental arrest or incarceration than children of other racial groups. For example, 27% of children who reported a parent’s arrest and 17% of the children who reported a parent’s incarceration identified as Black.

Bravo added that an “important direction for future research” is to examine which specific PCEs may have buffering or independent effects in youth samples.

“Future studies should examine these relationships within ethno-racially minoritized youth and examine the role of PCEs that are culturally and contextually congruent,” Bravo said. “This will facilitate the development of relevant strategies to prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviors among ethno-racially minoritized youth who have a parent in the carceral system.”

For more information:

Lilian G. Bravo, PhD, RN, can be reached at LGBravo@mednet.ucla.edu.