Effects of individual risk and state housing factors on adverse outcomes in a national sample of youth transitioning out of foster care

Abstract

Introduction: Compared to their peers, youth who leave the foster care system without permanency experience greater risks for adverse young adult outcomes, including homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse, and early child birth. Extant literature focuses on individual-level factors related to adversity. In this study, we estimated the impact of state and individual-level risk and protective factors on adverse 19-year-old outcomes among a cohort of U.S. transition age youth. Methods: We used multilevel modeling to analyze prospective, longitudinal data from two waves of the National Youth in Transitions Database (N = 7449). These data were linked to the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System, the Administration for Children and Families budget expenditures, and the American Community Survey for the period from 2011 to 2013.Results: Approximately 30% of the variation in each of the 19-year-old outcomes could be attributed to state-level effects. Residence in a state that spent above average of CFCIP budget on housing supports reduced the risk of homelessness and incarceration. Living in a state with a higher proportion of housing-burdened low-income renters significantly increased the risk of substance abuse and child birth. Individual-level risks were significant: racial/ethnic minority, male gender, past risk history, placement instability, child behavioral problems, residence in group home or runaway. Remaining in foster care at age 19 reduced the odds of homelessness, incarceration, and substance abuse. Conclusion: Macro factors, including financial support for transition-age youth, and broader housing market characteristics, have a bearing on young adult outcomes, and raise policy questions across social and human service sectors.

Remaining in Foster Care After Age 18 and Youth Outcomes at the Transition to Adulthood: A Review

“…Two longitudinal studies, the Midwest Study and the NYTD, found that youth who remained in care until age 19 were less likely to be homeless than youth who left care at age 18 (Dworsky, 2010; Prince, Vidal, & Connell, 2016). The Midwest Study data suggest that the protective effect against homelessness of an additional year of foster care wears off after time.…”

Out-of-home care in childhood and socio-economic functioning in adulthood: ONS Longitudinal Study 1971-2011

“…Others suggest that gendered adult functioning applies across the whole population and is not specific to those with a history of OHC [24]. One possible explanation for moderation by gender concerns gender differences in resilience, with girls more likely to be resilient to stressful circumstances than boys [18,[48][49][50]. Another explanation is that the nature and timing of transitions to adulthood differ for men and women and the risks associated with OHC may affect adult social functioning differentially via different transition patterns [51].…”

“…Children in out-of-home care (OHC) are at higher risk of adverse outcomes later in life [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. This includes outcomes such as poorer mental and physical health [1,4,5,7,9,11], premature mortality [10,15,[19][20][21][22][23], less education and lower qualifications [3,4,11,13], unemployment and a more disadvantaged socioeconomic position [3,4,11,24], unstable relationships and earlier family formation [2,3,6] and poorer living conditions [4,14,18].…”

Using Emancipation Checklists with Youths Aging Out of Foster Care: An Example from Prince George’s County

“…A number of studies show effective practices for improving various outcomes, such as housing stability and educational attainment, when foster care is extended beyond age 18 (Courtney et al, 2010; Courtney et al, 2011; Dworsky, 2010; Prince et al, 2019; Salazar et al, 2019). Studies also suggest that young adults have developmental and cognitive ability to engage in dialogue with the court and other stakeholders.…”