Abstract citation ID: kaae014.1377
 
 POSTER SESSION E: THE IMPACT OF FAMILIAL INCARCERATION ON YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS’ SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING: A QUALITATIVE STUDY
 
 Lizbeth S. Becerra, MPH,, Lydia Lising, n/a, Eric Shanazari, CHES , Mikaela M. Rojas, BS, MPH (c), Abnous Shahverdi, n/a, Maria Guevara, MPH, Myriam Forster, PhD, MPH.
 
 University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA; California State University, Northridge, West Covina, CA;  California State University, Northridge, Sun Valley, CA;  Cal State University of Northridge, Northridge, CA;  California State University, Northridge, Woodland Hills, CA; HSCI CSUN, Canoga Park, CA;  California State University, Northridge, Santa Monica, CA.
 
Purpose: Over 2.5 million children, predominantly youth living in underserved communities and youth of color, have an incarcerated parent or family member in jail or prison. Although there has been research conducted on the impact of incarceration on adults, there is limited research focused on youth whose household members are involved in the justice system and little is known about their lived experiences. The current study investigated the experiences of young adults who had at least one incarcerated family member during their childhood and/or adolescence.
 
 Methods: Semi-structured interviews of young adults whose parent/s, caregiver/s, or relative/s were incarcerated (N=12) during childhood were conducted to develop a qualitative narrative synthesis. On average, respondents were 23 years old; 77% were female, and slightly over half of interviewees were from California (62%) followed by New York (15%), Washington D.C. (15%), and North Carolina (8%). Participants were asked about their family members’ incarceration, relationship with them before, during, and after incarceration, coping strategies, integration into the school environment and available support systems.
 
 Results: Themes that emerged from interviews indicated that youth internalized the stigma of familial incarceration and experienced social, emotional, and behavioral challenges that impacted their development. Participants described feelings of loneliness, being misunderstood, and bullying victimization. One stated: “I had to fight a lot–mostly everybody always knew that the one thing that would make me react is if you talked about my mother,” another shared: “I needed to feel safe, I needed to feel I wasn't alone, I needed to feel like I wasn't misunderstood, I joined a gang and was a gang member for the majority of my teenage years.” Early onset of substance use was also discussed as a way to contend with their feelings. 
 
Conclusion: It is essential to understand the impact of familial incarceration on children’s mental health and interpersonal functioning. importantly, school programs and community leaders should consider investing in tailored programs that promote adaptive coping and resilience for impacted youth. Participants described how various forms of self-expression contributed to their resilience. Prioritizing the development of programs that can support impacted youth could promote adaptive coping and foster positive support systems through adulthood. 
 
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Lizbeth S. Becerra, MPH, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA; lsbecerr@usc.edu.