Issues of mental health and service use in a sample of children in long-term foster care
Date
2015
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Research strongly suggests that children in foster care exhibit higher rates of mental disorders compared to children in the general population and while they tend to receive more services, many still do not received the care they need. The present study seeks to compliment the existing body of research on mental health in foster children. The study is based on a secondary data analysis of the National Survey for Child and Adolescent Well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between two indicators of emotional wellbeing, externalizing symptoms and mental health service use using the Long-Term Foster Care sample. Two indicators of emotional wellbeing—depression and trauma symptoms, along with externalizing symptoms were first examined to determine if a sufficient proportion of the sample fell within clinical range on these measures. Due to an insufficient subsample of children who fell within this range, these outcomes could not be related to service use. A follow-up analysis was conducted that examined the externalizing and internalizing subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and their relation to service use. Significant relationships were found between those children who had a single diagnosis of either or externalizing or internalizing disorders, and those who had a dual diagnosis. Those children with a dual diagnosis tended to receive the most services. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.