NCJ Number
235259
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 35 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2011 Pages: 425-436
Date Published
June 2011
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This exploratory study examined individual and environmental factors that could be useful in determining caregiver stability for children placed in permanent placement between the ages of 6 and 8.
Abstract
The study found that in a sample (n=285) of children receiving permanent placement, caregiver instability affected 14 percent of the children who received permanent placement between the ages of 6 and 8; being adopted by the age of 6 substantially decreased a child's risk of caregiver instability; for children not adopted by the age of 6, a highly involved father figure decreased the rate of caregiver instability; being from a family with higher levels of expressiveness also increased a child's risk for experiencing caregiver instability; and the risk of children experiencing caregiver instability was lower for those children with caregivers who were rated more responsive to the interviewer's questions. Data for the study were obtained from a sample of children who were involved in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). Classification and regression tree analysis was used to identify the factors that would be useful in determining a child's risk for caregiver instability during permanent placement. The results indicate that the strongest predictor of caregiver stability was being placed in adoptive care, followed by having a highly involved father, having a family with lower levels of expressiveness, and having a caregiver who showed greater levels of cooperation, openness, and truthfulness. Implications for improved placement of children who suffer from child maltreatment are discussed. Tables, figure, references