Julie Poehlmann

Previous research demonstrates that children who experience parental incarceration are at increased risk of negative psychological, educational, behavioral and social outcomes. However, the mechanisms driving this disadvantage remain poorly understood. The stigma attached to incarceration and related processes, like negative perceptions of children with incarcerated parents, offer one potential explanation. Both individuals who experience incarceration and their families are vulnerable to negative stereotyping, which evidence shows undermines social engagement and hinders positive outcomes. Stigma surrounding parental incarceration is often gendered, with both the child's and the incarcerated parent's gender influencing the nature of the stigma associated. Furthermore, national context is noted for its role in shaping how parental incarceration is perceived and experienced. However, perceptions of children with incarcerated parents have received only minimal scholarly attention within the US and very limited examination beyond the US. Research has rarely considered the influence of parent and child gender, and cross‐national comparisons remain unexplored. This study will investigate whether knowledge of parental incarceration influences societal appraisals of children's competence across social, behavioral, educational, and caregiver‐support domains, in two US and two non‐US based populations. Using Prolific data collection online platform, study one will compare nationally representative samples from the UK and US ( N = 1634) to explore societal‐level appraisals. Study two will compare a US‐based and Irish‐based university sample of pre‐service professionals ( N = 1634). All participants will be randomly assigned to read a vignette describing a child's behavior in school, where the child parent is absent due to a) incarceration or b) an unspecified reason. Participants will then evaluate the vignette child's competence using The Expectations and Attitudes about Children from Homes with Extra Risk questionnaire. Data will be statistically analyzed on SPSS using a factorial ANOVA, a moderating mediation, and a mediation analysis using multiple regression analysis within PROCESS. Findings will be discussed in relation to perceived competence for children with incarcerated parents compared to unspecified parental‐absence and considered based on gender and national context. Results will inform future research, national and gender‐specific training programs and support interventions.

Children with justice system-impacted parents often experience educational, social, and emotional challenges, yet little is known about how educators support these children in early childhood settings. This study explored early childhood educators’ perspectives on children’s experiences, available support systems, and factors shaping educators’ ability to provide support. Nineteen early childhood educators from across the United States participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis informed by the bioecological model, with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC-22) providing complementary linguistic analysis. Three themes were identified: children’s experiences in school contexts, support systems across educational contexts, and educators’ roles, experiences, and constraints. Educators described emotional distress, family instability, academic challenges, stigma, and resilience among children with justice system-impacted parents. They emphasized relationship-based, trauma-informed practices while reporting limited training and formal support systems. Findings underscore the need for coordinated school-based supports and educator preparation to promote educational equity and well-being.

In 2023, jails admitted 7.6 million people across the United States (U.S.), with significant racial and economic disparities (Zeng, 2024). Most incarcerated individuals are parents of minor childre...

A transition in care (TIC) is a significant change in the primary adults who provide care for a child, involving a move to informal or formal non‐parental care, including kinship and foster care. In this paper, we address three issues: (1) the theoretical and empirical reasons for retaining infants and children who experience TIC in longitudinal studies of child health and development; (2) the import of retaining infants and children who experience TIC in studies focusing on parental substance use; and (3) methodological strategies for following children with TIC. We discuss the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study as an example of how a large prospective longitudinal cohort study can retain children who experience TIC, describing strategies such as: (1) documenting the frequency and contexts of these transitions and their associations with child health, mental health, and neurodevelopment; (2) attending to consent and mandated reporting requirements; (3) being sensitive to state child welfare policies and practices; (4) addressing retention challenges; (5) focusing on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and (6) establishing methods that document transitions and flexibly follow children as they grow older.

Parental incarceration can be stressful for children, leading to less optimal development. Although parental incarceration typically takes place among other adversities, resilience processes occur in many families, for example, in instances of secure child–caregiver attachment relationships. Yet, it is not known how secure attachments are associated with stress processes in children with incarcerated parents, especially in the context of other risks. The current study analyzed data from 67 child–caregiver dyads, measuring cumulative stress hormones (cortisol and cortisone) through children's hair samples and assessing attachment security using the Attachment Q‐sort. Results indicated that children with higher attachment security scores had lower levels of cortisone and the combined cortisol/cortisone variable, aligning with the Learning Theory of Attachment, which posits that secure attachments mitigate stress through consistent, supportive caregiving. Conversely, children with insecure attachments exhibited more extreme cortisone levels, suggesting dysregulated stress responses. These findings underscore the importance of attachment security as a resilience factor in children facing parental incarceration and other adversities. The study calls for targeted interventions to strengthen caregiver–child relationships, which could buffer the long‐term negative impacts of chronic stress. These results highlight the need for family‐related approaches to support the well‐being of children affected by mass incarceration.

We examined the feasibility and value of qualitatively analyzing the Attachment Story Completion Task (ASCT) to gain insights into attachment representations and intergenerational patterns in their parenting among incarcerated mothers in Türkiye ( N = 79, M _age = 29.7, SD = 5.6) co-residing with their toddlers. Participants responded to five attachment-related, stress-inducing story-stems. Thematic analysis under a constructivist framework identified five themes: Parental Profiles, Desire for Protection and Care, Self-Blame and Longing for Childhood, Feeling of Being Unloved, and Redemption of Remorse Based on Observed Parenting. Narratives reflected a lack of secure-base support and sensitive caregiving in childhood, marked by emotional neglect, disengaged fathers, and in some cases, abuse. Many mothers expressed shame, longing for affection, and intergenerational parallels with their children, pointing to preoccupied attachment tendencies. Findings emphasize the need for trauma-informed, attachment-based interventions to support caregiving in prison nurseries and address intergenerational cycles of adversity.