Understanding child protection decisions involving parents with mental illness and substance abuse

Roscoe, Joseph N.; Lery, Bridgette; Chambers, Jaclyn E.

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.05.005

Cited by 35 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Mandatory reporting may illuminate greater threats to child safety related to substance abuse and domestic violence, as well as emotional instability and caretaker impairment that may be associated with mental illness and criminal activity (Miller et al, 2013; Roscoe et al, 2018; Smith et al, 2007). Repeated contact with the criminal justice system likely also exacerbates (or indeed, may generate) a variety of familial, social, and economic hardships (Farrington et al, 2006; Piquero et al, 2010) that predispose families to harsh and erratic parental discipline, hazardous environments, and other direct influences on child maltreatment (Cubbin & Smith, 2002; Eamon & Suehl, 2001; Lee, 2009; Maguire-Jack & Font, 2017; O’Donnell et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Common psychiatric disorders can impair social and psychological functioning, resulting in less responsive parenting and impaired attachment (Lovejoy et al, 2000; Ramchandani & Stein, 2003). Indeed, the odds of an unsafe determination in a child protection risk assessment are more than double among parents who suffer from mental illness, with this effect associated with parental impairment, failure to meet child’s immediate needs, and threats of harm (Roscoe et al, 2018). This is consistent with the findings of a retrospective cohort study of all children born in Western Australia from 1990-2005, which showed that prior maternal mental disorder diagnosis was associated with more than double the risk of a maltreatment allegation (O’Donnell et al, 2015) and earlier placement in OOHC (O’Donnell et al, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Earlier Contact with Child Protection Services Among Children of Parents With Criminal Convictions and Mental Disorders

Whitten

Dean

et al. 2020

Child Maltreat

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Parental history of offending and/or mental illness are risk factors for child maltreatment. However, limited research has directly contrasted the role of maternal versus paternal criminal offending or mental health problems in contributing to earlier contact with the child protection system. In this study we examined the relative contributions of these risk factors in relation to the time to the offspring’s first report to child protection services, or first placement in out of home care (OOHC), using administrative records for a population sample of 71,661 children. Prior paternal offending had a greater independent effect on time to the offspring’s first contact with child protection services (HR = 2.27 [95% CI = 2.14-2.40]) than maternal offending (HR = 1.75 [95% CI = 1.63 -1.87]) or maternal mental disorder diagnosis (HR = 1.66 [95% CI = 1.57 -1.77]). By contrast, prior maternal offending (HR = 2.58 [95% CI = 2.26-2.95]) and mental disorder diagnosis (HR = 2.33 [95% CI = 2.05-2.63]) had a greater effect on earlier placement in OOHC, relative to prior paternal offending (HR = 1.59 [95% CI = 1.35 -1.88]) and mental disorder diagnosis (HR = 1.06 [95% CI = 0.94 -1.19]). These findings demonstrate the potential benefits of coordinated government responses across multiple agencies to identify vulnerable children and families who might benefit from early interventions or support services.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Earlier Contact with Child Protection Services Among Children of Parents With Criminal Convictions and Mental Disorders

Whitten

Dean

et al. 2020

Child Maltreat

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“…Vulnerabilities identified, such as younger age at birth of first child, mental health problems and patterns of substance use have previously been found to be related to care proceedings and child maltreatment [38][39][40]. Other studies looking at mothers who have lost the care of their infant also report greater drug [41,42] and alcohol use during pregnancy [43].…”

Section: Comparison Of Research Findings With Previous Literaturementioning

confidence: 91%

Maternal health, pregnancy and birth outcomes for women involved in care proceedings in Wales: a linked data study

Griffiths

Johnson

Broadhurst

et al. 2020

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Under the Children Act 1989, local authorities in Wales, UK, can issue care proceedings if they are concerned about the welfare of a child, which can lead to removal of a child from parents. For mothers at risk of child removal, timely intervention during pregnancy may avert the need for this and improve maternal/fetal health; however, little is known about this specific population during the antenatal period. The study examined maternity characteristics of mothers whose infants were subject to care proceedings, with the aim of informing preventative interventions targeted at high risk mothers. Methods Anonymised administrative data from Cafcass Cymru, who provide child-focused advice and support for family court proceedings in Wales, were linked to population-based maternity and health records held within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank. Linked data were available for 1111 birth mothers of infants involved in care proceedings between 2015 and 2018. Findings were benchmarked with reference to an age-deprivation-matched comparison group (n = 23,414), not subject to care proceedings but accessing maternity services during this period. Demographic characteristics, maternal health, reproductive history, interaction with midwifery services, and pregnancy and birth outcomes were examined. Descriptive and statistical tests of independence were used. Results Half of the women in the cohort (49.4%) resided in the most deprived areas. They were more likely to be younger at entry to motherhood (63.5% < 21 years-of-age compared to 42.7% in the comparison group), to have mental health (28.6% compared to 8.2%) and substance use issues (10.4% compared to 0.6%) and to smoke (62.7% compared to 24.8%) during pregnancy. The majority first engaged with maternity services within their first trimester of pregnancy (63.5% compared to 84.4%). Babies were more likely to be born preterm (14.2% compared to 6.7%) and, for full-term babies, to have low birthweights (8.0% compared to 2.8%). Conclusion This novel linkage study highlights multiple vulnerabilities experienced by pregnant mothers who have experienced care proceedings concerning an infant. Policy and practice colleagues require a clearer picture of women’s needs if child protection and health services are to offer effective services which prevent the need for family court proceedings and infant removal.

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“…A national longitudinal study of over 7000 parents found that parental depression predicted an increase in physical abuse but not neglect. Conversely, a diagnosis of obsessive–compulsive disorder predicted neglect but not physical abuse [4]. Parental mental illness has also been shown to correlate with substance use disorders as well as the offspring’s substance use later in life [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“We Are More than Our Parents’ Mental Illness”: Narratives from Adult Children

Patrick

McLean

2019

IJERPH

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Although research on children of parents with mental illness is growing, few researchers have examined the long-term impact of parental mental illness on adult children. This study explored the potential impact of growing up with a parent with a mental illness on the parenting role assumed by adult children. The qualitative study included ten participants, who were individually interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) along with member checks were utilised to derive themes from participants’ narratives. Three main themes were identified, including: ‘this is me’, ‘a whole new world’, and ‘because of you’. ‘This is me’ consisted of narratives highlighting how adult children intentionally went about parenting in ways different from their parents, and ‘a whole new world’ captured the salient identity that parenthood served for adult children. The third theme, ‘because of you’ highlighted the challenges adult children faced in their parenting roles as a result of their childhood experience living with a parent with mental illness. Participants highlighted the main challenges to be an absence of a reference point and lack of informal social supports. Recommendations for mental health practitioners and future research are presented in order to develop better ways to support adult children and their families.

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Understanding child protection decisions involving parents with mental illness and substance abuse

Cited by 35 publications

References 19 publications

Earlier Contact with Child Protection Services Among Children of Parents With Criminal Convictions and Mental Disorders

Earlier Contact with Child Protection Services Among Children of Parents With Criminal Convictions and Mental Disorders

Maternal health, pregnancy and birth outcomes for women involved in care proceedings in Wales: a linked data study

“We Are More than Our Parents’ Mental Illness”: Narratives from Adult Children

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