The new findings in a study by Kathleen Brewer-Smyth of the University of Delaware's College of Health Sciences show that female inmates with at least one adult incarcerated family member during childhood were more than twice as likely to have neurological abnormalities as adults than female inmates who had no incarcerated family members. The article was published by Health Care for Women International.
The implications are significant internationally, Brewer-Smyth said, in light of a World Health Organization 2015 report1 that predicts neurological decline will be an increasing public health problem worldwide.
Because of the nature of the study - a cross-sectional review of data gathered in other research - no cause and effect can be determined, said Brewer-Smyth, associate professor in the School of Nursing.
However, knowledge of the many challenges and potential deficits facing children with an adult family member behind bars can help researchers, child advocates, and policy makers find better strategies and support systems for those children in the future.
"We're good at identifying problems," Brewer-Smyth said, "but we haven't figured out the best ways to fix them."