The mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents in home‐based foster care

Abstract

Objective: To identify the prevalence of mental health problems, rates of suicidal ideation and behaviour, and use of professional mental health services among children and adolescents residing in home-based foster care, and to compare these rates with those reported for children and adolescents in the general Australian community. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Participants and setting: 326 children and adolescents (aged 6-17 years) residing in home-based foster care in the Adelaide metropolitan region between August 2004 and January 2006. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems, suicidal ideation and behaviour, and use of professional services to obtain help for emotional and behavioural problems. Results: 61.0% of children and adolescents living in home-based foster care scored above the recommended cut-off for behaviour problems on the Child Behavior Checklist and 35.2% of adolescents scored above the cut-off on the Youth Self Report. 6.7% of 13-17-year olds in home-based foster care reported a suicide attempt that required medical treatment during the previous year. Caregivers reported that 53.4% of children needed professional help for their mental health problems but only 26.9% had obtained help during the previous 6 months. Conclusion: Children in home-based foster care experience high rates of mental health MJA 2007; 186: 181-184 problems but only a minority receive professional help for their problems.

Psychopathology among children and adolescents in child welfare: a comparison across different types of placement in Flanders, Belgium

“…Nevertheless, their scores were significantly higher compared with normative data. Comparable results were found by Mount et al 6 and Sawyer et al ,34 where carers (residential or foster carers) were four and two times respectively more likely to identify mental health needs than young people did themselves. These findings underline the necessity of using a multi-informant approach, both in epidemiological studies as in clinical practise.…”

Regulatory skill as a resilience factor for adults with a history of foster care: A pilot study

“…Much research examining individuals with a history of FC has been performed during childhood and has shown that children with FC experiences exhibit heightened anxiety and associated internalizing problems (Damnjanovic, Lakic, Stevanovic, & Jovanovic, 2011; Dozier et al, 2002; Fisher, Gunnar, Dozier, Bruce, & Pears, 2006; Sawyer, Carbone, Searle, & Robinson, 2007; Wiik et al, 2011). Additionally, individuals with a history of caregiving adversity tend to be more stress reactive (McLaughlin et al, 2010) and exhibit altered activity of the stress-responsive hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis (e.g., flattened slope for cortisol production throughout the day and/or low cortisol morning levels) (Bernard, Butzin-Dozier, Rittenhouse, & Dozier, 2010; Bruce, Fisher, Pears, & Levine, 2009; Dozier et al, 2006; Fisher, Gunnar, Chamberlain, & Reid, 2000; Fisher et al, 2006; Fisher, Stoolmiller, Gunnar, & Burraston, 2007; Fisher et al, 2011).…”

In search of connection: The foster youth and caregiver relationship

“…For instance, children and youth in foster care often come to placements with complex behavioral and mental health needs, multifaceted placement histories, developmental and cognitive delays, insecure attachments, and chronic health problems (Brown, Arnault, George, & Sintzel, 2009; Chamberlain et al, 2008; Clausen, Landsverk, Ganger, Chadwick, & Litrownik, 1998; Coakley, Cuddeback, Buehler, & Cox, 2007; DeGarmo, Chamberlain, Leve, & Price, 2009; Egeland & Sroufe, 1981; Minnis, Everett, Pelosi, Dunn, & Knapp, 2006; Rauktis, Vides de Andrade, Doucette, McDonough, & Reinhart, 2005; Sawyer, Carbone, Searle, & Robinson, 2007; Shin, 2005; Whenan et al, 2009). Although Berrick and Skivenes (2012) described how the demands of foster caregiving often extend beyond those of “typical” parenting, research has found that foster caregivers may not be getting the training and support they need to meet the multidimensional needs of youth in their care (Dorsey et al, 2008).…”