Substance Use
Parental incarceration and offspring cigarette, alcohol, and cannabis use: A systematic review Shadiya L. Moss* Shadiya Moss Emilie Bruzelius Katherine M. Keyes
Background: Exposure to parental incarceration is associated with poor mental and physical health among adolescents; however, the impact of parental incarceration on adolescent substance use is unclear. In this review, we systematically appraise the extant literature investigating the association between parental incarceration and substance use among offspring ≤18 years of age.
Methods: A structured search of PubMed, Embase, PsychInfo, National Criminal Justice Reference Service, and Web of Science databases was conducted using search terms related to the concepts of parental incarceration and adolescent alcohol, cannabis, and cigarette use in the United States from 1984 to January 2022. Studies were independently screened for inclusion and data extraction. The primary outcomes were adolescent cigarette, alcohol, and cannabis use. Data extraction also focused on the role of moderators and mediators when applicable.
Results: Data from 10 studies were included. Studies suggested that parental incarceration was associated with an increase in adolescent cigarette and cannabis use. Findings for adolescent alcohol use were less clear, with included studies reporting negative, null, and positive associations. Only three studies assessed effect modification, showing that the association between parental incarceration and adolescent alcohol and cannabis use may be moderated by gender, age, and race. No studies included mediation effects.
Conclusions: In conclusion, while there is an increased interest in the health and well-being of offspring exposed to parental incarceration, research on offspring substance use outcomes is still underdeveloped. Studies included in this review suggest that parental incarceration was associated with higher cigarette and cannabis use, but studies were inconclusive regarding adolescent alcohol use. This review provides an overview of gaps in the literature and a call for research to understand if there is an association between parental incarceration and adolescent alcohol use, and if there are causal relationships between parental incarceration and adolescent substance use outcomes more generally, including effect modification and mediation.