An actor-partner interdependence model analysis of family support and depression among coparenting couples with an incarcerated partner

Abstract More people are incarcerated in the United States than in any other nation in the world. The incarcerated population disproportionately struggles with mental health issues. Familial support can help mitigate the detrimental consequences for incarcerated persons struggling with mental health issues, as well as for their families. We use data from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering, and employ Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling (APIM) to examine the relationship between perceived extended family support and depression for dyads consisting of incarcerated men and their non-incarcerated, female coparenting and romantic partners. We find that higher levels of perceived family support lessen depressive symptoms for both dyad members. However, higher levels of perceived support for both men and women disproportionately benefit the non-incarcerated woman, as the non-incarcerated women may additionally benefit from having male partners with better perceived social support. Clinical implications and future directions for incarcerated individuals and their families are discussed.