Longitudinal trajectories of behavioral problems among children in out-of-home care: A systematic review

Associations between out-of-home care and mental health disorders within and across generations in a Swedish birth cohort

“…Furthermore, the results of the current study confirmed associations between OHC and MHD within each generation. For G2, this was particularly the case among males, which contrasts with the majority of studies that reveal that rates of MHD are particularly high in females with experiences of OHC compared to reference populations without such experiences ( Hambrick et al, 2016 ; K ää ri ä l ä and Hiilamo, 2017 ; Vinnerljung and Hjern, 2018 ; Gypen et al, 2017 ; Lee and Holmes, 2021 ; Conn et al, 2015 ).…”

Psychopathology and mental health service use among youth in foster care admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit: a 4-year retrospective controlled study

“…Children in out-of-home care represent a heterogeneous population that exhibits distinctive patterns of externalising symptoms over time, and multiple factors predict behavioural symptoms. Recognizing a socio-ecological framework, large-scale social determinants (e.g., socio-economic situation), contextual factors (e.g., placement-related factors), family factors, and child characteristics (e.g., age at first placement, socio-emotional competence, and adverse life experiences such maltreatment) shape the development of problem behaviour [ 33 , 34 ]. Although family factors, such as negative and inconsistent parenting styles and caregiver mental health and/or substance use disorders, play a central role in the development of children's behaviour, and may at least partially explain such differences, factors related to foster placement (i.e., the number of previous placements and length or kind of placement) may also influence the development of problematic behaviours [ 35 ].…”

“…Given the high associated personal and societal costs, there is a need for effective and evidence-based programmes to prevent and treat early-onset disruptive behaviour disorder in this vulnerable population [38][39][40]. For example, socio-emotional development, such as prosocial or self-regulation skills, moderates the relationship between out-of-home care and child behavioural outcomes and significantly improve behavioural outcomes [33]. Moreover, as we observed in our FC sample, comorbidity is more the rule than the exception, so clinicians should thoroughly assess comorbid conditions and address them appropriately.…”

Changes in Mental Health of Children and Young People in Residential Care: Outcomes and Associated Factors

“…There has been less research focused on the progression of emotional and behavioral problems during the stay of children and youth in OOHC (Attar-Schwartz et al, 2017;Havnen, et al, 2012). Some studies have suggested that the rates of mental health difficulties decrease during their stay in care (Goemans et al, 2015;Lee & Holmes, 2021) while others have shown stable trajectories or even deterioration in the long term in residential care (Attar-Schwartz et al, 2017), in foster or kinship care (Bell et al, 2015;Goemans et al, 2015;Tarren-Sweeney, 2017), and in different care programs (Proctor et al, 2010). A meta-analysis carried out to examine the longitudinal developmental outcomes of children in long-term outof-home care (focused on regular foster care that does not include therapeutic residential care) included 24 studies on the internalizing problems of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (N = 1,984), 21 on the externalizing problems (N = 1,729), and 25 studies for the total scale (N = 2,523) (Goemans et al, 2015).…”

“…A recent review with children in foster care and residential settings (group homes and residential treatment) examined the variables associated with particular behavioral development paths (Lee & Holmes, 2021). Among the factors that have been identified as predictors of worst mental health outcomes for children in child welfare is older age (Symanzik et al, 2019;Wade et al, 2018), gender (in boys or girls depending on the type of mental health problems) (Habersaat et al, 2018;Hussey & Guo, 2002), placement instability (Bell et al, 2015;Eltink et al, 2018;Konijn et al, 2019;Villodas et al, 2016), previous history of maltreatment (Yoon, 2017), and family background (Attar-Schwartz et al, 2017;Yoon, 2017).…”