Gabel S, Shindledecker R
Children's Day Hospital, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, White Plains 10605.
Int J Partial Hosp. 1992 Jun;8(1):77-87.
The number of individuals incarcerated in penal institutions in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. Children of incarcerated parents have been studied infrequently. They appear to be at high risk for present and future behavioral disorders, although their rate of utilization of mental health services is not known. This study compares a group of behaviorally disturbed children in day hospital treatment who have had incarcerated parents with a group of children without this history who were treated in the same facility at the same time. Children with histories of incarcerated parents account for almost 40% of those treated. They are more likely than their peers without histories of having had an incarcerated parent to have had substance abusing parents and to have been involved in at least one report of suspected child abuse/maltreatment. These variables together are taken as signs of severe family disorganization or dysfunction. In previous studies they have also been associated with poor outcome in mental health treatment. Clinical and social implications of these findings are discussed.
近年来，美国惩教机构中被监禁的人数急剧增加。对父母被监禁的儿童的研究很少。他们似乎面临着当前和未来行为障碍的高风险，尽管他们使用心理健康服务的比率尚不清楚。本研究将一组在日间医院接受治疗且父母被监禁的行为障碍儿童与一组同期在同一机构接受治疗但无此病史的儿童进行了比较。有父母被监禁病史的儿童占接受治疗儿童的近40%。与没有父母被监禁病史的同龄人相比，他们更有可能有滥用药物的父母，并且至少有一次涉嫌虐待/忽视儿童的报告。这些变量共同被视为严重家庭混乱或功能失调的迹象。在先前的研究中，它们还与心理健康治疗的不良结果有关。讨论了这些发现的临床和社会意义。
