Parental incarceration, youth mental health, and resilience: Relationships at home and beyond

ABSTRACT Objective We explored how relationship closeness across six contexts form distinct profiles among Minnesota youth with a history of parental incarceration and how these profiles relate to self‐reported anxiety and depression. Background In Minnesota, one in six youth report having a parent who has been incarcerated. There is a need for strengths‐based research on protective factors associated with positive mental health outcomes for this population. Method Data were analyzed from the cross‐sectional 2022 Minnesota Student Survey, which included a sample of eighth, ninth, and 11th graders in public schools who reported parental incarceration (17%; N = 13,423). Latent profile analysis identified patterns of closeness to parents, relatives, friends, teachers, school adults, and community adults. Wald chi‐square tests and regressions examined differences in self‐reported anxiety and depression across profiles, controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and food and housing insecurity. Results Six distinct relationship profiles emerged. Youth with higher levels of closeness across all relationships, especially with family, reported significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. Conclusions Our findings reveal associations between constellations of close relationships and reduced anxiety and depression among youth with a history of parental incarceration. Implications Results inform multisystem policies and programs aimed at strengthening youth relationships, particularly family bonds, during and after parental incarceration.