Exploring Patterns of Resilience Among Adolescents With Experiences of Parental Incarceration: Insights From Two Countries

Parental incarceration presents significant risks to adolescent development and well-being. However, most research has focused on deficits rather than protective factors and has mainly been limited to high-income Western contexts and caregivers’ reports. This study examined how contextual conditions impact the lives of adolescents with experience of parental incarceration (API) from South Africa and Canada. Multigroup structural equation modelling (SEM) compared API with sex- and age-matched peers who had not experienced parental incarceration on indicators of health, behaviour, risk, and resources, and identified common and country-specific predictors of API mental and physical health. Across countries, API showed poorer health and behavioural outcomes than their peers. South African API ( N  = 54, M _age  = 18.70; 50% female) reported higher family adversity but no resource differences, whereas Canadian API ( N  = 73, M _age  = 18.34; 60.3% female) showed disadvantages across multiple risk and resource domains compared with their peers. Being male was a consistent protective factor in both countries, and low family adversity and more benevolent childhood experiences were associated with better mental health in Canada. These findings underline that API represent a uniquely vulnerable, yet under-researched and underserved population. The results highlight the need for context-sensitive and gender-responsive supports for these young people.