Parental substance use is a well-documented risk for children. However, little is known about specific effects of prenatal and postnatal substance use on child maltreatment and foster care placement transitions. In this study, the authors unpacked unique effects of (a) prenatal and postnatal parental alcohol and drug use and (b) maternal and paternal substance use as predictors of child maltreatment and foster care placement transitions in a sample of 117 maltreated foster care children. Models were tested with structural equation path modeling. Results indicated that prenatal maternal alcohol use predicted child maltreatment and that combined prenatal maternal alcohol and drug use predicted foster care placement transitions. Prenatal maternal alcohol and drug use also predicted postnatal paternal alcohol and drug use, which in turn predicted foster care placement transitions. Findings highlight the potential integrative role that maternal and paternal substance use has on the risk for child maltreatment and foster care placement transitions.

Several studies have highlighted high levels of risk for girls who have been exposed to traumatic experiences, but little is known about the exact relationship between traumatic experiences and problems with delinquency and health-risking sexual behavior (e.g., precipitory and/or exacerbatory roles). However, numerous short-and long-term detrimental effects have been linked to trauma, delinquency, and health-risking sexual behavior. The utility of diagnostic and experiential trauma measures in predicting the greatest risk for poor outcomes for delinquent girls was examined in this study. Results indicate that the experiential measures of trauma (cumulative and composite trauma scores) significantly predicted adolescent offending and adolescent health-risking sexual behavior, whereas the diagnostic measures of trauma (full and partial diagnostic criteria) did not. Adolescent Girls' Offending and Health-Risking Sexual Behavior: The Predictive Role of TraumaExposure to a traumatic event can result in significant psychological disturbance. Common symptoms include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other anxiety disorders, depressive symptoms, and a variety of behavioral problems (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1998). Furthermore, untreated PTSD symptoms and trauma experiences have been associated with numerous debilitating outcomes (Mullen, Martin, Anderson, Romans, & Herbison, 1996;Neumann, Houskamp, Pollock, & Briere, 1996). Youths meeting full or partial criteria for PTSD are significantly more likely to experience serious behavioral, emotional, and health-related problems (Giaconia et al., 1995) and, when not effectively treated, tend to be at risk for experiencing similar or exacerbated problems in adulthood (Briere & Runtz, 1993;Browne & Finkelhor, 1986;Goodwin, 1988;Kendall-Tackett, Williams, & Finkelhor, 1993;Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, & Nelson, 1995;Kolko, 1996;Lindberg & Distad, 1985;Roesler & McKenzie, 1994;Rowan & Foy, 1993). Therefore, developing strategies for early, accurate identification of those at high risk is crucial.Research has identified a link between early childhood trauma and high rates of health-risking sexual behavior, conduct problems, and criminal offending in adolescence (Brener, McMahon,

Rates of placement disruption in traditional and treatment foster care are reviewed. Contextual factors, individual child and caregiver characteristics, and risk factors thought to influence rates of placement disruption are explored. A model for treatment foster care is described, and data are presented on disruption rates for this program. The results indicated that the likelihood of placement disruption is two times higher during the first 6 months (17.8%) compared to the second 6 months (9.2%) of treatment.Taken together across the first and second 6 months of treatment, 23 of 90 youth (25.5%) experienced a placement disruption. Findings indicate that age and gender play a role in disruption, with older girls at the greatest risk for placement disruption. Limitations of the study, future directions,and implications for treatment are discussed.

Transition into middle school presents complex challenges, including exposure to a larger peer group, increased expectations for time management and self-monitoring, renegotiation of rules with parents, and pubertal changes. For children in foster care, this transition is complicated by their maltreatment histories, living situation changes, and difficulty explaining their background to peers and teachers. This vulnerability is especially pronounced for girls in foster care, who have often experienced sexual abuse and are at risk for associating with older antisocial males. Failures in middle school can initiate processes with cascading negative effects, including delinquency, substance abuse, mental health problems, and health-risking sexual behaviors. An intervention is described to prevent these problems along with a research design aimed at testing the intervention efficacy underlying mechanisms of change.

Girls in foster care have been shown to be at risk for emotional and behavioral problems, especially during the preadolescent and adolescent years. Based on these findings and on the lack of research-based preventive interventions for such youths, the current study examined the immediate impact of an intervention targeting the prevention of internalizing and externalizing problems for girls in foster care prior to middle school entry. Study participants included 100 girls in state-supported foster homes who were randomly assigned to an intervention condition or to a control condition (foster care services as usual). The intervention girls were hypothesized to have fewer internalizing problems, fewer externalizing problems, and more prosocial behavior at 6-months postbaseline compared to the control girls. The results confirmed the hypotheses for internalizing and externalizing problems, but not for prosocial behavior. Limitations and future directions are discussed.