Relationship Between Time Spent Living with Kin and Adolescent Functioning in Youth with a History of Out-of-Home Placement

• NCJ Number: 234301
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2011 Pages: 78-86
• Author(s): Heather N. Taussig; Robert B. Clyman
• Date Published: January 2011
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1 R03 MH56781; 1 K01 MH01972; 1 R01 MH46078; 90-CA-1458
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health; National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information; Kempe Foundation for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the impact on the well-being of children court-ordered into out-of-home care and living with kinship caregivers.

Abstract

Multivariate analysis of the data found that the longer children placed in out-of-home care and living with kin had greater involvement in risk behaviors including delinquency, sexual risk behaviors, and substance use; and poorer life-course outcomes, such as tickets/arrests and lower grades. No significant relationships were found through bivariate analyses. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the length of time adolescents lived with relatives as a result of a court order and indices of adolescent well-being. Data were obtained from interviews with 148 adolescents, aged 7-12, who entered court-ordered out-of-home care between May, 1990 and October, 1991. Seventy-five percent of the adolescents interviewed 6 months after placement were also interviewed 5 years later. Findings from the multivariate analyses suggest a pattern of poorer functioning over time for adolescents living with relatives in court-ordered out-of-home care. Implications for future changes in practice and policy relating to adolescents court-ordered to out-of-home care are discussed. Tables and references