Jailed Black Fathers, Paternal Identity, and the Father-child Relationship

Abstract

There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of helping fathers maintain a father-child relationship during incarceration. Research has found that the effects of incarceration may diminish the father-child relationship. Using a sample of Black fathers (n=101), this study examined the association between the independent variables: father-child contact pre-jail, father-child contact during jail and the dependent variables: father’s rating of paternal identity. The results indicated no significant effect of pre-jail and during jail father contact on either pre-jail or during jail paternal identity.