Maternal Incarceration and Adolescent Health Risk Behavior Patterns: Exploring Gender and Racial Differences

Objectives: Research suggests that adolescents exposed to maternal incarceration have higher odds of being classified into more severe health risk behavior patterns than those without such experiences. However, the potentially heterogeneous effect of maternal imprisonment on adolescents with distinct individual characteristics remains under-investigated. This study aimed to advance the knowledge base by examining its impact based on adolescent gender and race. Methods: Specifically, this research used a nationwide dataset to examine the moderating effect of adolescent gender and racial background on the association between maternal incarceration and adolescent health risk behavior patterns. Results: The interaction terms were not statistically significant in predicting health risk behavior patterns, except for some trends toward significance worth noting. Specifically, black adolescents with maternal incarceration experiences trended toward lower odds, and Hispanic and multiracial or other adolescents trended toward higher odds of being classified into Class 3 than Class 2, compared to their white counterparts. Additionally, multiracial or other adolescents with maternal incarceration experiences trended toward higher odds of being classified into Class 4 than Class 2, compared to their white peers. Conclusions: Maternal incarceration may have a distinct impact on the health risk behavior patterns of adolescents with different racial backgrounds.