Parental Incarceration and Child Mortality in Denmark

Objectives. We used Danish registry data to examine the association between parental incarceration and child mortality risk.

Methods. We used a sample of all Danish children born in 1991 linked with parental information. We conducted discrete-time survival analysis separately for boys (n = 30 146) and girls (n = 28 702) to estimate the association of paternal and maternal incarceration with child mortality, controlling for parental sociodemographic characteristics. We followed the children until age 20 years or death, whichever came first.

Results. Results indicated a positive association between paternal and maternal imprisonment and male child mortality. Paternal imprisonment was associated with lower child mortality risks for girls. The relationship between maternal imprisonment and female child mortality changed directions depending on the model, suggesting no clear association.

Conclusions. These results indicate that the incarceration of a parent may influence child mortality but that it is important to consider the gender of both the child and the incarcerated parent.

Below:  Survival rates for boys of incarcerated and nonincarcerated (a) fathers and (b) mothers: Denmark, 1991–2011.

Note. The boys were born in 1991 and were followed until age 20 years or death, whichever came first.

Below:  Survival rates for girls of incarcerated and nonincarcerated (a) fathers and (b) mothers: Denmark, 1991–2011.

Note. The girls were born in 1991 and were followed until age 20 years or death, whichever came first.

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/BCos3P

By:  Christopher Wildeman, PhD, Signe Hald Andersen, PhD, Hedwig Lee, PhD, and Kristian Bernt Karlson, MSc

Christopher Wildeman is with the Department of Sociology, Yale University, New Haven, CT. Signe Hald Andersen is with the Rockwool Foundation Research Unit, Copenhagen, Denmark. Hedwig Lee is with the Department of Sociology, University of Washington, Seattle. Kristian Bernt Karlson is with SFI (The Danish National Centre for Social Research) and the Department of Education, Aarhus University, Copenhagen.

Corresponding author.

Correspondence should be sent to Christopher Wildeman, Yale University, Department of Sociology, PO Box 208265, New Haven, CT 06520 (e-mail: ude.elay@namedliw.rehpotsirhc). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the “Reprints” link.

Contributors

C. Wildeman designed the analysis and drafted the introduction and the Discussion section. S. H. Andersen conducted the analysis, including making all tables and figures, and provided critical revisions of the article. H. Lee provided critical revisions of the article, especially the Discussion section. K. B. Karlson provided critical revisions of the article, drafted the Results section, and aided in the analysis.

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