A Parenting Skills Program for Incarcerated Mothers and Fathers: Evidence from an Acceptability and Evaluation Study

Background and purpose

A staggering 45% of American families have experienced the incarceration of a family member and nearly half of those incarcerated are parents. Evidence-based programs for parents can aid in maintaining high-quality parent-child interactions during incarceration and post-release. Despite promising evidence, evidence is lacking about parenting programs in jail settings, a key area of justice-related research given that most incarceration occurs at the jail level with over 7 million admissions to jails annually. This study assesses the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of Parenting Inside Out (PIO), a jail-centered program focused on parenting skills training for incarcerated fathers in a large, mid-Western county jail.

Methods

Participating fathers (N = 89) ranged from 19-55 years of age (M = 30.65, SD = 7.35), were predominantly non-Hispanic Black (56.18%), and had on average, 2.7 children (SD = 1.89). Participants engaged in a 24-hour manualized parent management training intervention and completed pre- and post-treatment assessments concerning four primary domains: problem solving, communication skills, contact with child, and relationship with their children’s caregiver(s). Scales of depression, CES-D, and perceived stress, PSS-14, were also collected. Preliminary effectiveness was evaluated using paired sample t-tests and descriptive summary statistics were used to evaluate participant satisfaction with the program and perceived impact on themselves and their families.

Results

Comparisons from pre- to post-test demonstrated lowered depression (M = 20.21, SD = 10.62; M = 16.34, SD = 10.03; t(175) = -2.50, p = 0.013) and perceived stress (M = 31.65, SD = 6.05; M = 27.49, SD = 6.18; t(167) = -4.11, p < 0.001) among participants. Fathers were better able to use emotion regulation (M = 2.01, SD = 0.76; M = 3.23, SD = 0.64; t(160) = 2.86, p = 0.005) and maintain healthy self-care practices (M = 2.48, SD = 0.64; M = 2.73, SD = 0.45; t(153) = 2.96, p = 0.004). Individuals more regularly exchanged letters with (M = 0.57, SD = 0.7; M = 2.81, SD = 0.67; t(161) = 2.24, p = 0.026) and showed love and affection to (M = 2.88, SD = 0.39; M = 2.98, SD = 0.15; t(110) = 2.07, p = 0.041) their child(ren). Parent-caregiver relationships improved (M = 2.31, SD = 0.71; M = 2.57, SD = 0.57; t(158) = 2.58, p = 0.011) and participants were more likely to utilize problem-solving skills to resolve issues within their families (M = 2.28, SD = 0.59; M = 2.48, SD = 0.61; t(174) = 2.15, p = 0.033). All fathers reported positive or very positive effects of the study on them, and 94.38% indicated that the tools they learned will be very or quite helpful for their child post-release.

Conclusions and implications

This study provides insight into the efficacy of a parenting skills program and supports further exploration into the value of implementing PIO within a jail setting. Support across the domains of interest, particularly in strengthening social and familial connections, can be the key to success when parents reintegrate into their communities and families.