Incarceration, co-caregiving and child adjustment

描述（由申请人提供）：被监禁的母亲的孩子是国家高风险儿童中最危险的。然而，令人惊讶的是，很少有人致力于确定在面临多重风险时可能促进调整的因素。新出现的证据表明，在不同的家庭系统中，共同父母的团结至关重要，这表明，被监禁的母亲与在其不在时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，犯罪学和公共卫生方面的专家，将当代家庭理论和研究扩展到一个新的领域，以调查被监禁母亲的扩展亲属网络中共同团结的相关性。这项研究的重点是60名学龄前儿童，这些儿童的母亲在监狱服刑4-6个月，由外祖母照顾。与希尔斯伯勒县监狱系统（美国20大监狱之一）建立合作关系并建立了一个可靠的筛查、转诊、探视、录像和后续程序。对共同抚养团结的评估将在（a）母亲入狱两个月后，在母亲与监护祖母定期探视期间完成;以及（B）母亲获释一个月后完成。学龄前儿童的社会情感技能和能力以及行为调整的评估也将在随访中完成。根据研究的主要目的，分析将检查（a）访谈和基于观察的估计之间的一致性的共同抚养联盟;（B）任何影响，研究访问本身对随后的访问模式的祖母;（c）共同抚养团结是否与学龄前儿童监禁后的适应有关，除了女性的养育方式和母女关系的质量之外;以及（d）共同照顾联盟中母亲和祖母之间的团结是否会调节风险与随后的儿童和家庭调整之间的联系。

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.