Incarceration, co-caregiving and child adjustment

描述(由申请人提供)：被监禁母亲的孩子是美国高危儿童中风险最高的。然而，令人惊讶的是，几乎没有人致力于确定可能促进在面临多重风险的情况下进行调整的因素。新出现的证据表明，在不同的家庭系统中共同团结的核心重要性表明，被监禁的母亲与在她们不在的情况下照顾其子女的个人之间的团结和支持可能是其中一个因素。这项实地研究汇集了心理学、社会工作、犯罪学和公共卫生领域的专家，将当代家庭理论和研究扩展到一个新的领域，以调查共同照料团结在被监禁母亲的扩大亲属网络中的相关性。60名学龄前儿童在孩子的母亲服刑4-6个月期间由外祖母照顾，这是研究的重点。与希尔斯伯勒县监狱系统(美国最大的20个监狱系统之一)建立合作关系并建立了可靠的筛查、转诊、探视、录像和随访方案。对共同照料团结的评估将在以下时间完成：(A)母亲入狱两个月后，母亲与监护祖母定期探视期间；(B)母亲获释后一个月。学龄前儿童的社会情感技能和能力以及行为适应的评估也将在后续工作中完成。根据这项研究的主要目的，分析将审查：(A)访谈和基于观察的对共同照料联盟的估计之间的一致性；(B)研究性研究探视本身对祖母随后探视模式的任何影响；(C)除了妇女的养育方式及其母女关系的质量之外，共同照料团结是否与学龄前儿童的监禁后适应有关；(D)共同照料联盟中母亲与祖母之间的团结是否缓和了风险与随后的子女和家庭适应之间的联系。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Children of incarcerated mothers are among the riskiest of the nation's high-risk children. Yet surprisingly little effort has been devoted to identifying factors that might promote adjustment in the face of multiple risks. Emerging evidence establishing the central importance of coparental solidarity across diverse family systems suggests that solidarity and support between incarcerated mothers and the individuals caring for their children in their absence may be one such factor. This field study brings together experts in psychology, social work, criminology and public health in a study that extends contemporary family theory and research into a new realm, to investigate the relevance of co-caregiving solidarity in the extended kin networks of incarcerated mothers. Sixty preschool-aged children being cared for by maternal grandmothers as the children's mothers serve jail sentences of 4-6 months are the study's focus. A collaborative relationship with the Hillsborough County Jail system (among the 20 largest in the U.S.) and a solid screening, referral, visitation, videotaping, and follow-up protocol has been established. Assessments of co-caregiving solidarity will be completed (a) two months into the mother's jail sentence during a scheduled visitation between the mother and the custodial grandmother; and (b) one month after the mother's release. An evaluation of the preschooler's socioemotional skills and competencies and behavioral adjustment will also be completed at follow-up. In line with the study's principal aims, analyses will examine (a) coherencies between interview and observationally-based estimates of the co-caregiving alliance; (b) any effects that the research study visitation itself has on subsequent visiting patterns by the grandmother; (c) whether co-caregiving solidarity is related to post-incarceration adaptation by preschoolers, over and above the women's parenting styles and the quality of their mother-daughter relationship; and (d) whether solidarity between mother and grandmother in the co-caregiving alliance moderates linkages between risk and subsequent child and family adjustment.