Prenatal exposure to maternal incarceration and infant and toddler health and development

PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT The U.S. has the highest women’s incarceration rate in the world, with significant racial and economic disparities. Approximately 3-4% of women enter prison or jail pregnant. Those who give birth during incarceration are usually separated from their newborns, who live with another caregiver during the mother’s incarceration. Although few studies have examined prenatal exposure to maternal incarceration in relation to child health and development, emerging research suggests less optimal birth outcomes. Prenatal exposure to incarceration is hypothesized to be detrimental to child development through several pathways including a) antecedents of incarceration, including maternal substance abuse and chronic mental health conditions, b) prison or jail conditions that are suboptimal for maternal and fetal health, c) characteristics of postnatal non- maternal caregiving environments, and d) insecure attachment relationships due to unstable caregiving. Preliminary data show that caregivers of children exposed prenatally to maternal incarceration frequently report poverty, food insecurity, and mental and physical health issues. In addition, caregiving relationships are often unstable over time, with one-third of infants experiencing a change in caregiving in the first year of life. The proposed research analyzes data from the Birth Beyond Bars Study, a mixed-methods longitudinal study of infants exposed prenatally to maternal incarceration. Mixed methods analyses will assess mothers’ retrospective reports of environmental experiences both before (e.g. prenatal substance exposure and maternal mental health) and during incarceration that may threaten fetal development. Qualitative data will be analyzed to characterize the mother-caregiver relationship and links to caregiver instability and mother-child reunification. Analysis of quantitative data will examine predictors of children’s cognitive and social emotional development. Training objectives include a focus on early childhood development and developmental assessment, advanced qualitative data analysis, quantitative analysis of family data, and translation of research for policy and practice.