Mental Health Session Abstract: “Daddy's Locked Up”- Emotional strain of parenting among African-American women whose primary partner has been incarcerated

A high rate of incarceration of African-American men has produced a disproportionate number of African-American women who are single mothers. While research has been conducted on the association between father incarceration and youth well-being, the impact of partner incarceration on women with children has not been studied. This research seeks to understand the effects of long-term incarceration of an intimate partner on emotional wellbeing among African-American women who have children.

African-American women whose primary male partner had recently been incarcerated were recruited to participate in this longitudinal qualitative study. Nearly half the sample reported abusing drugs or alcohol. A total of 12 semi-structured one-on-one interviews covering domains related to family, children's welfare and mental health were analyzed using grounded theory methods.

Preliminary analysis suggests that partner incarceration profoundly influences mental health among women with children. Women are torn between ending a relationship with their incarcerated partner and maintaining ties in order to foster a strong family relationship. New parental responsibilities (e.g. transporting children to prison, shielding children from incarceration-related stigma, adequately explaining incarceration) were a source of emotional strain. Additionally, partner incarceration greatly reduced family income, and women contended with stresses of parenting under this new financial duress (e.g., entering a shelter with children). Most women reported depression and a need for counseling.

If further analysis supports these preliminary findings then African-American mothers should be rapidly linked to counseling and economic support services when their partners are incarcerated.