Mental Health and Foster Care
In a society where things are ever so changing, Foster care still remains a prevalent institution that is designed to provide care for children who are facing challenging situations at home. It is typically arranged by the government, through social services. The ultimate goal of foster care is to hopefully reunite the child with their family once the family has been able to rehabilitate and create a healthy environment for the child to return. For many children this day never comes, other may get to home but the scares that are marked on them do not ever go away. I write this blog to inform others about the detrimental effects that the foster care system has on the mental health development of children who have been in the foster care system, at any point in their life. Children in the foster care system are 2x more likely than the average child in the general population to experience mental health problems that follow them into their adulthood. I examined the possible role that race may have played into how children’s development was affected and found that race was not a contributor to the development of mental health conditions foster children experience. Instead there were seven predictors that were responsible for the mental health disorders that were seen amongst the foster youth.
The seven predictors that trigger the various mental health issues seen in foster children were the age in which a child enters care, gender, amount spent in care, number of placement changes, maltreatment exposure, maternal mental health, and the preparation for living after foster care. These predictors were considered to have huge effects on the children because they experienced abrupt shifts in their lives. The age in which a child entered could potentially make or break their development. Children who entered the foster care at a younger ager were less likely to experience or better cope with mental health disorders than those who entered at an older age. The age bracket was critical, “those who entered at 5 years or younger relative to those who entered 12 or older (Villegas 1453)” The idea behind this was that children who were younger could adapt much more easily because they aren’t really aware of the details in why they are being placed in care versus a child who is old enough to understand their living circumstances may suffer more. The amount of time that a child spends in care can also take a huge toll on their mental state because this may mean that they can be more susceptible to victimization, which can include maltreatment. If children are having to spend multiple years in toxic or negative environments, where they fear opening up about their living conditions; the damage can be greater based on the length of time they are expose to unhealthy conditions.
Along with this matters the amount of placement changes because the children are unable to find stability. Each time they are moved they have to refamiliarize themselves with the new environment and the foster care providers. This can then create a distrust and insecurity for that child because they will always be on edge awaiting their next move. The type of treatment that children experience is crucial for their mental health development. If children are experiencing maltreatment in the home than they are more likely to internalize it. There are many forms of maltreatment which can include but are not limited to, sexual or physical abuse, and/or neglect. Their chances of success were 38% less than those of alumni foster children where maltreatment was not experienced in care (Villegas 1453). Gender was one of the main factors to consider when evaluating an alumnus who has been in foster care prior. The research suggests that, “female gender is a salient predictor for negative adult mental health outcomes…(Villegas)” This can be connected to possible child sexual abuse encounters that happens to young girls, putting them in positions to be at a higher risk for mental health disorders. In addition, if there is a history of family mental health issues it can create a greater chance for the foster child to experience similar mental health problems. There was research done on adults who use to be in foster care as children that found “ increased mental health disorders among alumni reporting maternal mental health problems (Villegas 1455).” If children are exposed to their mother’s mental health disorder symptoms, they can develop trauma that then leads them to follow in similar footsteps.
It becomes even more damaging when these children are placed in the system leaving them to cope in similar ways that they witnessed. The final key predictor is the preparation for living that is given to the children who are approaching the exit of foster care. The preparation is the guidance that should be given to the children from the moment they enter care to the moment they are getting ready to return home or aging out (turns 18 years old). If the children are not mentally, physically, and emotionally prepared for the next steps in their life they may find it challenging to overcome life obstacles that can occur through their lives. The chances of prosperous outcomes were “47% lower in groups with low preparation than in high preparation (Villegas 1453)” How much one invests into the development of the child will determine their overall growth and prevent children from developing mental health conditions. Once these seven key predictors have been taken into account you are able to understand why the development of children, who are in the foster care system are experiencing higher rates of mental health problems, than those who are not in the system.
There must be a change in the way that children experience foster care because the results show that the development of children is highly affected. We must create preventative solutions that can create a positive shift in the development outcomes of foster children . A great place to begin is with the providers who are working directly with the youth in foster care. Educating them on the different practices and techniques that are useful when working with foster children can have a positive effect. It is also important for foster care providers to understand the trauma the children have experienced and how to assist children with coping. I believe that the foster care system can do better to help redefine the mental health care of children in the foster care.
References:
Barth, R., & Fernandez, E. (2010). How does foster care work? International evidence on outcomes (Child welfare outcomes (Jessica Kingsley Publishers)). London ; Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley.
Coleman-Cowger, Green, & Clark. (2011). The impact of mental health issues, substance use, and exposure to victimization on pregnancy rates among a sample of youth with past-year foster care placement. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(11), 2207–2212.
Harris, Marian S., Jackson, Lovie J., O&Amp;Apos, Brien, Kirk, & Pecora, Peter. (2010). Ethnic group comparisons in mental health outcomes of adult alumni of foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(2), 171–177.
Jackson, Lovie J., O’Brien, Kirk, & Pecora, Peter J. (2011). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Foster Care Alumni: The Role of Race, Gender, and Foster Care Context. Child Welfare, 90(5), 71–93.
Okpych, N., Courtney, M., Mcleigh, Jill D., & Spaulding, William. (2018). Characteristics of Foster Care History as Risk Factors for Psychiatric Disorders Among Youth in Care. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88(3), 269–281.
Scott, Lionel D., McCoy, Henrika, Munson, Michelle R., Snowden, Lonnie R., & McMillen, J. Curtis. (2011). Cultural Mistrust of Mental Health Professionals among Black Males Transitioning from Foster Care. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 20(5), 605–613.
Thomas, M., & Philpot, T. (2009). Fostering a child’s recovery: Family placement for traumatized children (Delivering recovery). London ; Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley.
Villegas, & Pecora. (2012). Mental health outcomes for adults in family foster care as children: An analysis by ethnicity. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(8), 1448–1458.
