Psychological Effects of Secondary Prisonization on Older Parents

Secondary prisonization refers to the impact of the incarceration of a relative on the members of their family. This study aimed to analyze the psychological effects of secondary prisonization on older parents. Specifically, levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being (emotional, psychological, and social) were analyzed by means of quantitative and automatic speech analysis methods in a sample of over 65-year-old parents of Basque prisoners incarcerated in remote prisons. The statistical analysis of data and the automatic spontaneous speech analysis showed that secondary prisonization has a negative impact on older parents’ levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being. These results lead us to conclude that remote imprisonment of adult children has negative psychological effects on older parents.