Familial incarceration, neighborhood vulnerability, and adolescents’ sleep and physical activity

Background

In the US, having an incarcerated parent can increase risk for compromised social, economic, and health outcomes. However, research has yet to explore the impact of any family members’ incarceration (e.g., parent, sibling, uncle, etc.) on adolescents’ sleep and physical activity (meeting the recommended hours of sleep per night and minimum days of physical activity per week) – basic requirements for healthy development, and the role of neighborhood context in these relationships.

Methods

Data are survey responses linked to geospatial indices of environmental justice (neighborhood social, health and environmental exposure) of high school students across three US states (N = 3,641). GLMs tested hypothesized associations of familial incarceration and meeting sleep and physical activity recommendations and whether these associations varied across neighborhood context. All models adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, state, and other family stressors (e.g., household substance use, mental illness, divorce, violence).

Results

The sample was ethnically diverse, evenly divided by sex and 30% reported having an incarcerated family member. Over two thirds (64%) of youth did not meet sleep (≥ 8 hours a night), and 35% did not meet physical activity (≥ 3 days per week) recommendations. Youth with a history of family incarceration had 50% higher odds of not meeting sleep (AOR: 1.5, 95% CI:1.2-1.9) and 30% higher odds of not meeting physical activity (AOR: 1.3, 95%CI: 1.1-1.6) recommendations than their peers adjusted for covariates. Youth reporting familial incarceration and living in high vulnerability neighborhoods had significantly higher odds of not meeting the recommended hours of sleep than their peers with familial incarceration who live in low vulnerability neighborhoods (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Trauma informed programs for youth with familial incarceration that account for neighborhood context are essential to improve vulnerable adolescents’ health outcomes.

Key messages

• Youth with a history of familial incarceration had higher odds of not meeting sleep and physical activity recommendations than their peers.

• The impact of familial incarceration on meeting sleep recommendations is more pronounced in high vulnerability v.s low vulnerability neighborhoods.