FAMILY
The previous pages lay out a few youth characteristics at the individual-level. We now zoom out to the experiences of youth within their family context.
Specifically, we focus on
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, Living arrangements and PARENTAL INCARCERATION.
Certain childhood and family dynamics have been shown to increase a person's risk of physical and mental health problems, victimization, economic and social disruptions well into adulthood.
Over the past 25 years, researchers have assessed the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (or ACEs) on youth's ability to thrive as adults.
An estimated 62% of adults surveyed across 23 states reported that they had experienced one ACE during childhood and nearly one-quarter reported that they had experienced three or more ACEs.
Youth who had higher ACE scores were more likely to acutely experience negative consequences to their mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting poorer mental health and higher likelihood of a suicide attempt (1).
Over the course of the pandemic, ACE scores increased for almost one-third of US adolescents (2).
For the best actionable evidence on how to prevent ACEs, see this resource compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Who do our youth live with?
This is how the data breaks out for New Yorkers under the age of 18 who live with at least one biological parent >>>
BOTH parents
MOTHER only
FATHER only
25% of New York youth live with a single parent. This is how it breaks down in terms of race and ethnicity:
. Of all Black youth in New York State, 64% live with a single parent;
. Of all Hispanic youth in New York State, 51% live with a single parent;
. Of all youth of two or more races in New York State, 41% live with a single parent.
Compared to other races/ethnicities, White youth and Asian/Pacific Islander youth are more likely to live with both parents. >>>
Family living arrangement is related to birth rates in adolescence.
For instance, according to the CDC, the probability of giving birth before age 20 'is lower for those who lived with both biological parents at age 14 compared to those with other living arrangements'. >>>
Recent data from the U.S. Office of Population Affairs shows that:
'the national teen pregnancy rates for ages 15-17 and 18-19 (the number of pregnancies per 1,000 females in the specified age group) have declined almost continuously for nearly 30 years.'
The same is true in New York State for that age group.
Research shows that parental incarceration is related to myriad negative consequences for youth, including aggression and antisocial behavior, as well as school exclusion and economic deprivation.
In NY, approximately 2.5% of youth under the age of 18 have lived with a parent who has been incarcerated at any point since the child was born.
This is disparately experienced by youth of color who comprise 55% of these youth.
Nationally, in 2020-2021
about 4.5 MILLION (or 6% of) youth under the age of 18
had lived with a parent who had been incarcerated
at any point since the child was born.
This is how it breaks down in terms of race and ethnicity:
- Of all Native American youth, 18% have this experience;
. Of all Black youth in the US, 10% have this experience;
