Family Visitation and Its Relationship to Parental Stress Among Jailed Fathers

• Date: 01 December 2018
• Published date: 01 December 2018
• Author: Shannon Womer Phaneuf,Jamie S. Martin
• DOI: 10.1177/0032885518812107
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0032885518812107

The Prison Journal

2018, Vol. 98(6) 738 –759

© 2018 SAGE Publications

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DOI: 10.1177/0032885518812107

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Article

Family Visitation and

Its Relationship to

Parental Stress Among

Jailed Fathers

Jamie S. Martin1

and Shannon Womer Phaneuf1

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between jail visitation with children

and levels of parental stress among a sample of jailed fathers. Quantitative

analyses of the self-report data reveal that jailed fathers experienced stress

related to parenthood regardless of whether they had visits from their

family. However, the type of stress varied, with fathers who had family visits

reporting stress directly related to the visitation, while fathers who did not

have visits noted more generalized parental stress. The findings provide

insight into the type and quality of incarcerated fathers’ contact with their

children and factors that influence the number of visits they receive. The

negative impact of the lack of contact visits is also discussed.

Keywords

jailed fathers, visitation, stress, incarcerated parents

Introduction

Incarceration is understandably a very stressful experience (Johnson & Toch,

1988; Lindquist & Lindquist, 1997; Sykes, 1958). Correctional facility envi-

ronments with their rigid rules, stringent routines, and loss of freedom can be

1Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jamie S. Martin, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Indiana University of

Pennsylvania, Wilson Hall, Room 200, 411 North Walk, Indiana, PA 15705, USA.

Email: jmartin@iup.edu

812107TPJXXX10.1177/0032885518812107The Prison JournalMartin and Phaneuf

research-article2018

Martin and Phaneuf 739

a significant source of stress for inmates (Gibbs, 1987, 1991; Johnson &

Toch, 1988; Lindquist & Lindquist, 1997; Toch, 1992). Sykes (1958) noted

that perhaps what is most stressful is the fact that “the inmate is cut off from

family, relatives, and friends, not in the self-isolation of the hermit or the

misanthrope, but in the involuntary seclusion of the outlaw” (p. 286).

Incarcerees often rely upon family members and friends in the outside

world for information, assistance with their cases, and emotional and financial

support (e.g., visits, phone contact, commissary money, etc.). Yet this reliance

on those outside the facility can be a double-edged sword. For inmates, the

absence of family and friend interactions can be stressful, leading to feelings

of complete isolation and loneliness. On the contrary, the presence of such

interactions can also be stressful, as the inmate is more acutely aware of fam-

ily events or problems over which he or she is powerless to provide assistance

(Martin, 2001). This is especially the case for an incarcerated parent for whom

the stress of imprisonment may be is heightened (Arditti, Lamber-Shute, &

Joest, 2003; Houck & Loper, 2002; Loper, Carlson, Levitt, & Scheffel, 2009).

Stress Among Incarcerated Parents

Parental stress related to separation from children impacts both incarcerated

mothers and fathers (Arditti et al., 2003; Houck & Loper, 2002; Martin, 2001;

Tuerk & Loper, 2006), but it stands to reason that the experience may be quali-

tatively different for mothers than for fathers. For instance, Tuerk and Loper

(2006) found that mothers who lived with their children prior to incarceration

were more likely to maintain contact with them during their period of incar-

ceration. This greater preprison contact with children led to lower levels of

parental stress (Loper et al., 2009; Tuerk & Loper, 2006). In contrast, other

research has demonstrated that both the loss of custody and connection with

their children were significant stressors (Dodge & Pogrebin, 2001).

Incarcerated fathers who lose contact with their children also report stress,

but it may be caused by a different set of factors. Specifically, incarcerated

fathers are less likely than incarcerated mothers to have contact with their

children during their time in prison (Loper et al., 2009; Mumola, 2000). This

trend is even more pronounced among Black and Latino fathers compared

with White fathers (Cochran, Mears, & Bales, 2017; Swisher & Waller, 2008;

Woldoff & Washington, 2008) and more troublesome considering Black men

are disproportionately represented in prisons. The reasons for this lack of

contact vary. While some studies point to “institutional” barriers that prohibit

inmates from sustaining family contact, such as long distances to the correc-

tional facility, the cost of phone calls, undesirable visitor accommodations,

correctional staff treatment of visitors, and cumbersome and invasive