Differential exit rates of minority children in foster care

Predictors of foster care exits to permanency: A competing risks analysis of reunification, guardianship, and adoption

“…Two studies did not find this significant relationship between race and adoption (Connell, et al, 2006;McMurtry & Lie, 1992).…”

“…Child's gender was not typically associated with foster care exits to permanency when other child or placement characteristics were included (Barth, 1997;Becker, et al, 2007;Benedict & White, 1991;Connell, et al, 2006;Courtney, 1994;Courtney, et al, 1997;Courtney & Wong, 1996;Davis, et al, 1996;Glisson, et al, 2000;Landsverk, et al, 1996;Leathers, 2005;McMurtry & Lie, 1992;Pabustan-Claar, 2007;Park & Ryan, 2009;Potter & Klein-Rothschild, 2002;Romney, et al, 2005;Rosenberg & Robinson, 2004;Wells & Guo, 1999;Yampolskaya, et al, 2007;Yampolskaya, et al, 2006). However, there were a few exceptions to this general finding, most of which pointed to exits to permanency favoring girls (Harris & Courtney, 2003;Kemp & Bodonyi, 2000;Snowden, et al, 2008;Vogel, 1999).…”

“…Specifically, most studies found that older children were less likely to exit to any type of permanency; while infants were less likely to be reunified than older children, but more likely to be adopted (Barth, 1997;Becker, Jordan, & Larsen, 2007;Connell, Katz, Saunders, & Tebes, 2006;Courtney, 1994;Courtney, et al, 2007;Courtney & Wong, 1996;Goerge, 1990;Harris & Courtney, 2003;Koh & Testa, 2008;McDonald, Poertner, & Jennings, 2007;Park & Ryan, 2009;Romney, Litrownik, Newton, & Lau, 2005;Rosenberg & Robinson, 2004;Smith, 2003;Snowden, Leon, & Sieracki, 2008;Vogel, 1999;Wells & Guo, 1999;Yampolskaya, Armstrong, & Vargo, 2007;Yampolskaya, Kershaw, & Banks, 2006). Some studies, however, did not find a significant relationship between age and foster care exits (Benedict & White, 1991;Glisson, Bailey, & Post, 2000;McMurtry & Lie, 1992;PabustanClaar, 2007;Potter & Klein-Rothschild, 2002). …”

“…Race and ethnicity were frequently cited as significant predictors of length of stay in foster care, with African American children having the lowest probability of foster care exit as compared to White and Latino children, and other children of color. More specifically, studies that examined exits to reunification almost always found that African American children were less likely to reunify than White and Latino children (Barth, 1997;Connell, et al, 2006;Courtney, 1994;Courtney, Piliavin, & Wright, 1997;Courtney & Wong, 1996;Goerge, 1990;Harris & Courtney, 2003;McDonald, et al, 2007;McMurtry & Lie, 1992;Romney, et al, 2005;Rosenberg & Robinson, 2004;Wells & Guo, 1999), noting that some studies showed that the effect size was very small (McDonald, et al, 2007). Only two studies that specified the exit type found an non-significant association between race and reunification Landsverk, Davis, Ganger, Newton, & Johnson, 1996).…”

Suicidal Thoughts in Adopted Versus Non-Adopted Youth: A Longitudinal Analysis in Adolescence, Early Young Adulthood, and Young Adulthood

“…Stated another way, assignment to the various adoption groups is not random, creating difficulties for causal inference. For example, children who are adopted later (age 4 years or thereafter) might experience late adoptions because they are more prone to having developmental disabilities (e.g., Glisson, Bailey, & Post, 2000;McMurty & Lie, 1992;Schmidt-Tieszen & McDonald, 1998) and these disabilities might be driving the observed (small) differences in suicidal tendencies rather than factors associated with the adoption experience.…”