A study by University of Queensland researchers has found that having a dad in prison may be less harmful for some kids than once thought. The findings of the study were released this week in the prestigious Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
The School of Population Health researchers found that, while children whose fathers had been in prison showed more behavioural problems and were more likely to drink and smoke, these problems were mostly caused by other factors.
Lead author Dr Stuart Kinner said the study of 2,399 Brisbane teenagers found the general social disadvantage of the children was the reason behind increased behavioural problems.
These problems included externalising behaviour, such as aggression, hyperactivity and being anti-social; internalising behaviour, such as acting withdrawn, anxious and depressive; and alcohol and tobacco use.
“While it’s long been known that children of prisoners show increased levels of behavioural problems, the link between the two has not been thoroughly explored until now,” Dr Kinner said.
“Our study shows that it is more likely to be other disadvantages experienced by these children – such as low socio-economic status, marital disorder, an unstable family life, mothers who drink and/or smoke and have poor mental health – that cause these problems.”
When the researchers took these other factors into account, there was no significant link between father’s imprisonment and behavioural problems, except for an increased likelihood of tobacco and alcohol use in boys.
This link may be due to children modelling the behaviour of their same-sex parent, prompting the authors to suggest that a similar study, focusing on imprisoned mothers, might be useful to further explore gender differences in the impacts of imprisonment.
Dr Kinner said the study shows that, while prisoners’ children are disadvantaged, they are not a unique group.
“The findings of this study do not suggest that the children of prisoners shouldn’t receive extra support – they certainly should. Instead, what we’re seeing is that it’s not only the children of prisoners who would benefit extra support,” he said.
The study was based on the Mater-University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), a longitudinal study of over 7,000 mothers and their children, born at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital in 1981-83.
Media: Dr Stuart Kinner (07 3365 5492, 0402 909 728, s.kinner@uq.edu.au)
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