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Highlights
- Children living with foster families experienced significantly greater trauma (across domains; physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, witnessing domestic violence).
- A strong, positive relationship was found between the number of trauma types experienced and foster placement, with foster children nearly seven times more likely to experience four types of trauma, compared to non-foster children.
- Children living with foster families also experienced significantly greater positive symptoms, risky or problematic sexual behaviour, difficulty…
This study explores the state of kinship care in British Columbia (BC), Canada 10 years after the implementation of major policy reform designed by the provincial government to improve services to kinship caregivers. It arises from a community-based research project that included Parent Support Services (PSS), a charitable nonprofit organization that supports kinship caregivers in BC, and the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).
Two hundred participants were involved, including kinship caregivers and key informants. Data collection used surveys, focus groups, and interviews…
Externalizing behavior problems are a salient issue in the context of child protection services, where associations with placement stability and caregiving behavior have been documented. Moreover, although research on the association between contact with biological parents and foster child externalizing behavior problems is scarce and has yielded mixed results, several studies have shown links between the two variables. The purpose of this study is to determine the association of face-to-face contact with biological parents and externalized behaviors, while taking into account placement…
Externalizing behavior problems are a salient issue in the context of child protection services, where associations with placement stability and caregiving behavior have been documented. Moreover, although research on the association between contact with biological parents and foster child externalizing behavior problems is scarce and has yielded mixed results, several studies have shown links between the two variables. The purpose of this study is to determine the association of face-to-face contact with biological parents and externalized behaviors, while taking into account placement…
ABSTRACT
Young people in residential out-of-home care often exhibit health and psychosocial challenges, which can emerge from childhood trauma. A body of research has examined the wellbeing of these young people; however, the ways in which interventions and practice models can improve the health and psychosocial wellbeing of young people in out-of-home care remains unclear. A systematic review was conducted to examine the effectiveness of interventions and practice models for improving health and psychosocial outcomes of young people in residential care and to identify relevant knowledge…
Abstract
The adverse mental health outcomes of youth in-care have been examined from a number of disciplinary perspectives. A sociological approach emphasizes the importance that environmental and social factors play in the development of mental health problems. What remains unknown is the extent to which general strain theory (GST) and self-control theory can explain the mental health outcomes of youth in-care. The sample consists of 1419 youth taken from the 2016 Ontario Looking After Children (OnLAC) project who are between 16 and 17 years of age. Results indicate that having lower…
Abstract
Youth and young adults who previously experienced foster care are prone to negative life events, such as physical injuries, and adverse childhood experiences (ACE), such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. The purpose of the present study was to identify the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), ACE, and poor sustained attention and the associations of these events in this group of vulnerable persons. Participants completed standardized questionnaires on the prevalence of self-reported TBI (TBI) and ACE and performed the Sustained Attention to…
Abstract
Background:
A review of the scientific literature showed few valid tools for assessing reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED), two diagnostic entities traditionally grouped under “attachment disorders.” The Early TRAuma-related Disorders Questionnaire (ETRADQ), a caregiver report, was developed to assess attachment disorders in school-age children based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth edition criteria. This study sought to validate this instrument.…
Abstract
Racial disparities in child welfare involvement between Black and White children have been well-documented in the United States, but research in this area is relatively underexplored in Canada. Emerging evidence from Canadian studies indicates that Black families are far more likely to be reported for maltreatment concerns, and that these initial disparities persist as families move deeper into the system. Scholars have begun to identify the factors associated with those disparities in Canada, but there is a need for understanding the larger structural and historical context that…
Abstract
This study examines whether increased interaction and observation of young children by school professionals leads to an increase in school-based reports to child welfare authorities and in the identification of child maltreatment victims. Comparing provincial-level data collected before and after full-day kindergarten implementation in Ontario, a doubling in rates of school-referred investigations involving 4- and 5-year-old children was found. There was no significant difference in the rates of maltreatment substantiation, service referrals made or transfers to ongoing services,…