Maltreatment and Mental Health of Older Foster Youth

Contact:

Thomas Keller, PI    kellert@pdx.edu
Kris Gowen, Research Associate
Amy Salazar, Graduate Research Assistant

The nature and severity of mental health problems among older adolescents in state care has important implications as these youth exit the child welfare system and attempt the difficult transition to independent adulthood.  This study involves secondary analysis of a large dataset derived by sampling all youth from three Midwestern state child welfare agencies who were 17 years or older and had been in foster care for at least one year.  Mental health was assessed with a structured diagnostic interview (CIDI), and information was obtained on their experience of maltreatment, history in the child welfare system, utilization of services, relationship networks and social support, and psychosocial and adaptive functioning.  Several analyses will be conducted. First, the nature and prevalence of mental health disorders overall and variations according to individual and system-level factors (e.g., type of foster placements) will be examined.  Second, latent class analysis will identify particular patterns of abuse and neglect experienced, and these maltreatment profiles will be investigated for specific correspondences with particular mental health disorders.  Third, the possibility that links between maltreatment and mental health are moderated by social support and successful foster care intervention will be investigated.  Finally, classification and regression tree analysis (CART) will be used on a combination of individual, maltreatment, and child welfare factors to develop a predictive model for identification of youth likely to exhibit mental health problems.  Identifying factors and processes associated with mental health problems among foster youth is necessary for providing targeted preventive interventions and treatment services to help them cope with the transition to independent living.  Furthermore, studying this population presents unique opportunities to examine how trauma and psychosocial factors are linked to mental health problems in late adolescence.