Objective

Ethnic/racial minority children in the United States are more likely to experience father loss to incarceration than White children, and limited research has examined the health implications of these ethnic/racial disparities. Telomere length is a biomarker of chronic stress that is predictive of adverse health outcomes. This study examined whether paternal incarceration predicted telomere length shortening among offspring from childhood to adolescence, whether maternal depression mediated the link, and whether ethnicity/race moderated results.

Method

Research participants included 2,395 families in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study, a national and longitudinal cohort study of primarily low-income families from 20 large cities in the United States. Key constructs were measured when children were on average ages 9 (2007-2010) and 15 (2014-2017).

Results

Children who experienced paternal incarceration exhibited shorter telomere lengths between ages 9 and 15, and changes in maternal depression mediated this finding. Specifically, mothers who experienced a partner’s incarceration were more likely to have depression between children’s ages 9 and 15. In turn, increases in maternal depression between children’s ages 9 and 15 predicted more accelerated telomere length shortening among children during this period. Paternal incarceration was more prevalent and frequent for ethnic/racial minority youth than for White youth.

Conclusion

Paternal incarceration is associated with a biomarker of chronic stress among children in low-income families. Rates of paternal incarceration were more prevalent and frequent among Black American and multiethnic/multiracial families than among White Americans. As a result, the mass incarceration crisis of the criminal justice system is likely shaping intergenerational ethnic/racial health disparities.

中文翻译：

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父亲入狱与家庭幸福之间的纵向关联：对民族/种族健康差异的影响

客观的

在美国，少数族裔/种族儿童比白人儿童更有可能因监禁而失去父亲，而且有限的研究探讨了这些族裔/种族差异对健康的影响。端粒长度是慢性压力的生物标志物，可预测不良健康结果。这项研究检验了父亲的监禁是否预示着后代从童年到青春期的端粒长度缩短，母亲的抑郁是否介导了这种联系，以及种族/种族是否调节了结果。

方法

脆弱家庭和儿童福祉研究的研究参与者包括 2,395 个家庭，这是一项针对美国 20 个大城市的主要低收入家庭的全国性纵向队列研究。关键结构是在儿童平均年龄为 9 岁（2007-2010 年）和 15 岁（2014-2017 年）时测量的。

结果

经历过父亲监禁的儿童在 9 至 15 岁之间表现出端粒长度较短，而母亲抑郁症的变化介导了这一发现。具体来说，经历过伴侣监禁的母亲在孩子 9 岁至 15 岁之间更有可能患抑郁症。反过来，孩子在 9 岁至 15 岁之间母亲抑郁症的增加预示着这一时期儿童的端粒长度缩短得更快。与白人青年相比，少数族裔/种族青年的父亲监禁更为普遍和频繁。

结论

父亲监禁与低收入家庭儿童慢性压力的生物标志物有关。在美国黑人和多民族/多种族家庭中，父亲入狱的比例比美国白人中更为普遍和频繁。因此，刑事司法系统的大规模监禁危机可能会造成代际民族/种族健康差异。