The CHIRP (Children with IncarceRated Parents) study

February 2, 2026

About

Using data from a new Statistics Canada platform, this study estimated the number of children in Canada who experience parental incarceration and examined available health status indicators. This project was co-developed with community stakeholders, who worked with the research team to conduct the study and to share and apply the findings. The research team also worked with community stakeholders to develop future research and policy work.

Principal Investigators

  • Fiona Kouyoumdjian, Associate Professor, Family Medicine, McMaster University
  • Martha Paynter, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick

CHPC Co-Investigator

  • Nicole L.A. Catherine

Research Team

Click/tap to see the full list of team members
  • Co-Principal Investigators: Kouyoumdjian, F. (McMaster University), Paynter, M.
  • Co-Investigators: Bondy, S.J., Butler, A., Catherine, N., Cavanagh, A., Coyle, E., Liauw, J., Tessier, S., Wang, C., Robinson, P., Irving, M., Russell, N.

Funders

  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Funding

  • $74,988 (over one year)

Key Findings

  • 169,740 children experienced parental incarceration across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia between 2015 and 2021.
  • Approximately 1 in 100 children (1.2%) younger than 18 years old in these provinces experienced parental incarceration per year.
  • The rate of children who experienced parental incarceration per total population in these provinces per year (229/100,000) was 29% higher than the rate for the European Union.
  • Reflecting existing systemic inequities, parental incarceration had a disproportionate impact on Indigenous and Black children. Among the children included in the study, 5% had at least one Indigenous parent and 5.9% had at least one Black parent.
  • Most children experienced more than one episode of parental incarceration, and 25% experienced four or more episodes.

Publications

  • Kouyoumdjian F.G., Paynter M., Knudsen E.M., Croxford R., Bondy S.J., Jennings L., Russel N., Semeniuk R., Bentley-Wang C., Butler, A., Butsang T., Catherine N.L.A., … & Sharma S. (2026) Estimating the number and percentage of children who experience parental incarceration in Canada using whole population administrative and vital statistics data. PLoS One 21(4): e0344941. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.034494

Learn More