Investigator: Samantha Stayton, M.A.
Study Title: Effects of Parental Incarceration on Adult Children
I am a student at The Chicago School. This study is being conducted as a part of my dissertation requirement for The Chicago School.
I am asking you to participate in a research study about the long-term effects of parental incarceration. You will be asked to complete four questionnaires including a demographic questionnaire, the ACEs questionnaire, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and the Hamilton D scale. The ACEs questionnaire will ask about childhood experiences of abuse or trauma. The Rosenberg self-esteem scale is a questionnaire that measure self-esteem. The Hamilton D scale is a questionnaire that looks at depression symptoms. This will take approximately ten minutes. This may cause loss of confidentiality, invasion of privacy, emotional distress or upset, materials or questions that may be regarded as sensitive or invasive, and questions about traumatic experiences or abuse. Although you may not benefit, it will help to understand how to provide preventative assistance to children who experience parental incarceration.
Please take your time to read the entire document and feel free to ask any questions before agreeing to participate.
Purpose: The current study addresses the research gap in understanding the long-term effects of parental incarceration during childhood on adult psychological and social functioning. For purposes of this study, parental incarceration is the imprisonment of a parent for at least one year, whether in jail or prison, when the child is between the ages of 1 and 17. The study aims to examine the presence of depressive symptoms, self-esteem, adult offending, and the number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among individuals who have experienced parental incarceration.
Procedures: Participants will be asked to participate in the study via electronic means. The participants will endorse that their participation is voluntary. The participant will then answer four questionnaires including a 10-item demographic questionnaire, the 10 item ACEs questionnaire, the 10 item Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and the 17 item Hamilton D scale. The four questionnaires will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Risks to Participants: The risks of this study are loss of confidentiality, invasion of privacy, emotional distress or upset, materials or questions that may be regarded as sensitive or invasive, and questions about traumatic experiences or abuse. Invasion of privacy concerns will be addressed by providing information that you do not have to answer each question. Any emotional distress or discomfort related to sensitive or invasive materials or questions will be alleviated by providing resources, including crisis hotlines. Additionally, for questions concerning traumatic experiences or abuse, resources will be provided to aid those who have experienced crises, such as crisis hotlines, crisis response team information, details on victims' rights, and links to victim advocacy sites.
Benefits to Participants: You will not benefit from this study. However, we hope the information learned from this study may benefit society in our understanding of how we can better understand the complex factors that contribute to outcomes and develop targeted interventions to support affected families.
Alternatives to Participation: Participation in this study is voluntary. You may withdraw from study participation at any time without any penalty.
Confidentiality: During this study, information will be collected about you for the purpose of this research. This includes your email address and demographic information (age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, age of participant during parental incarceration, incarceration of one or both parents, duration of incarceration of pare