Table 5.

Examples of what caregivers told children about their father’s incarceration over time in the control and outreach groups

Control group: Initial explanation	Explanation at 2-week follow-up	Explanation at 4-week follow-up
Honest and developmentally appropriate explanation, no change over time
That Dad is not bad guy, but he didn’t follow the rules so he had to go to jail until they said he can go home.	Just that he was in there for a probation violation. He has asked what Dad is on probation for but we didn’t tell him.	Nothing changed
Daddy is taking a grown-up timeout.	Nothing new	Lost to follow-up
Distortion (i.e., explanation that was not honest), no change over time
That he’s at work. She sees and talks to him often so this works. She initially said that’s where Daddy was, so we just went with it.	He’s at work.	That he’s at work.
I tell her he’s on a work trip….When we got here (to the jail), she told me, “Daddy cuts down trees. This isn’t his work.”	Just that he works there.	Nothing different, that he’s at work and he’ll be home soon.
That his Dad is working with the police to fix things around the police station.	Working with police—cleaning.	That he is working with the police.
Change from nothing to honest and developmentally appropriate explanation
Nothing	I just, she hasn’t really asked anything so I haven’t told her anything.	When I’m on the phone she asks if it’s him; I say yes, he’s in jail.
Nothing, no change over time
Mother does not talk to children about it because it makes them upset.	Nothing	Nothing—they talk to him on the phone. Try not to talk to them about jail.
Change from too much detail to honest and developmentally appropriate explanation
That he was naughty and punched the TV and mirror.	He can’t come home yet.	It will be awhile before she’ll be able to visit her Dad again.
Just that he did something wrong. He didn’t follow the rules, and when you’re an adult and you don’t follow the rules you go to jail.	They have discussed how much happier the father is sober. He’s more smiley and calm—he hopes this means Mom and Dad will fight less when he gets home.	The father will be out soon and it’s time to get ready for him to come home.
Educational group: Initial explanation	Explanation at 2-week follow-up	Explanation at 4-week follow-up
Honest and developmentally appropriate explanation, no change over time
I told her the truth. Dad had broke a rule and had to go to grown-up timeout. She knew he went to jail.	I told her the truth that Dad broke a rule and had to go to grown-up timeout, jail.	I told her the truth. Dad had broke a rule and had to go to grown-up timeout. She knows it’s jail.
That he did something bad, and he is in a timeout in jail.	That he did something bad, and he is in a timeout in jail.	That he did something bad, and he is in a timeout in jail.
She has been told that Daddy is trying to come home to her. That Daddy broke a grown-up rule and that he will have to stay at jail for awhile. We told her we will come see him and can still talk to him often.	That he’s trying to get out, he just told her it’s a while to get home. “Pretty soon he will get to see you.”	She constantly wants to know when Dad is getting out. “Still awhile until Dad comes home. He’s going to new jail (prison) but you will be able to give him hugs, play games, and have snacks!”
That he did something that was against the law so had to go on a long timeout. Then later, Daddy wrote her a letter saying he was so sorry to make her cry and for what he did.	Now her Mom is in jail too.	A little about Mom because Mom moved jails and she’s a little closer. Talked about having a visit down the road.
Change from nothing to honest and developmentally appropriate explanation
Nothing just yet. He has not asked about his Dad just yet but when he do, what do I tell him? Nothing.	I asked if (Child) missed him and how he feels. I give him the space to talk about his feelings.	(Child) hasn’t asked about it—usually put in Sesame Street movie if he asks.
Change from distortion (i.e., explanation that was not honest) to honest and developmentally appropriate explanation
Daddy was going away for a little bit to get better.	(Child) asked why Daddy is out—Daddy had to “go away for a little bit, did something bad; had to get better.” I sort of blew it off.	Up until we did this study, I just told her Daddy went away to make himself better. I didn’t feel comfortable telling her he was in jail. She had no idea what jail is, but when we did the study, she saw for herself, and we could talk about it.
Distortion (i.e., explanation that was not honest), no change
He is away at boot camp.	I just told her he was gone away and he’d be out pretty soon. He’s on a little vacation.	Lost to follow-up
Too much detail, no change
Dad was speeding and he got pulled over, and there was a warrant for his arrest.	He will always ask me why and this time we told him, Dad got pulled over for speeding. I don’t like to say much to him, but I know Dad and he would tell people because he’s honest and open. We tell our son “You have to make better choices and you won’t go there.”	Lost to follow-up

Note: The categories described above resulted from coding caregivers’ open-ended responses into fourcategories at each of the three time points and then examining change over time. This resulted in five subgroups for the intervention group and five subgroups for the control group.