Identification of social-emotional problems among young children in foster care

Current studies show that individuals who were in foster or institutional care experience higher rates of physical and psychiatric morbidity than the general population. Children in foster care have a higher probability of having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and deficits in executive functioning, anxiety as well other developmental problems. These children experience higher degrees of incarceration, poverty, homelessness, and suicide.Recent studies show alarming occurrence of trauma and high stress load in children in institutional but as well as foster care.We have conducted an extensive study (n = 360) monitoring occurrence of trauma in history of children in foster care (n = 120), in institutional care (n = 120) and in functional biological families (n = 120). We have also evaluated levels of social emotional development and occurrence of child psychopathology.The results of the presented study showed that children in institutional and foster care show substantially higher occurrence of trauma in their history, higher incidence of reactive psychopathology (i.e. depression) and their level of social emotional development is substantially lower comparing to children from functional biological families (p < 0.01).The study proposes that children in foster and institutional care require substantial psychosocial support and attention.SUPPORTED BY THE RESEARCH GRANT GK MPSV-01-202.

Download Full-text

Randomized Trial of PMTO in Foster Care: Six-Month Child Well-Being Outcomes

Research on Social Work Practice ◽

10.1177/1049731516669822 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 206-222 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Becci A. Akin ◽

Kyle Lang ◽

Thomas P. McDonald ◽

Yueqi Yan ◽

Todd Little

Keyword(s):

Foster Care ◽

Well Being ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

High Risk Population ◽

Social Emotional ◽

Prosocial Skills ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Cohen’S D ◽

Children In Foster Care ◽

Cohen's D

Objective: This study tested the effectiveness of Parent Management Training, Oregon (PMTO) model on child social–emotional well-being. Methods: Using a randomized controlled design and three measures of social–emotional well-being, the study investigated effectiveness of PMTO with families of children in foster care with serious emotional disturbance (SED). Participants included children (3–16 years) and parents who were randomly assigned to PMTO ( n = 461) or services as usual ( n = 457). Study condition was known to participants and assessors. Six months after baseline, analysis of covariance models examined the intervention’s overall effect and time interactions using intent-to-treat analysis. Follow-up analyses identified salient predictors of well-being. Results: PMTO demonstrated small but significant positive effects on three primary outcomes: social–emotional functioning (Cohen’s d = .31), problem behaviors (Cohen’s d = .09), and prosocial skills (Cohen’s d = .09). Conclusion: Results suggest that PMTO was effective at improving short-term social–emotional well-being in a high-risk population of children with SED.

Download Full-text

Identification of Infants and Young Children with Social-Emotional Problems

Infants & Young Children ◽

10.1097/00001163-199801000-00005 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 10-18

Author(s):

Suzanne J. Yockelson

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Emotional Problems ◽

Social Emotional ◽

Infants And Young Children

Download Full-text

Use of a Brief Standardized Screening Instrument in a Primary Care Setting to Enhance Detection of Social-Emotional Problems Among Youth in Foster Care

Academic Pediatrics ◽

10.1016/j.acap.2011.03.001 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 409-413 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Sandra H. Jee ◽

Jill S. Halterman ◽

Moira Szilagyi ◽

Anne-Marie Conn ◽

Linda Alpert-Gillis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Foster Care ◽

Care Setting ◽

Primary Care Setting ◽

Emotional Problems ◽

Screening Instrument ◽

Social Emotional ◽

Standardized Screening ◽

Youth In Foster Care

Download Full-text

Taking Care Triple P for Foster Parents With Young Children in Foster Care: Results of a 1-Year Randomized Trial

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260520909196 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 088626052090919

Author(s):

Ann-Katrin Job ◽

Daniela Ehrenberg ◽

Peter Hilpert ◽

Vanessa Reindl ◽

Arnold Lohaus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Foster Care ◽

Young Children ◽

Foster Parents ◽

Challenging Behaviors ◽

Control Group ◽

Triple P ◽

Group Training ◽

Foster Families ◽

Parent Group ◽

Children In Foster Care

Young children with a history of maltreatment or neglect in foster families often confront their caregivers with particularly challenging behaviors. This may lead to more parenting stress, an increased risk for the child in foster care to experience further maltreatment, and placement disruptions. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of a parent group training tailored to the special needs of foster families. We hypothesized significant short- and long-term improvements regarding foster parents’ parenting competencies, child mental health problems, and related outcomes. Eighty-one families with 87 children in foster care aged 2 to 7 years participated in the trial. For the intervention study, 44 randomly selected families (54%) were offered to participate in the parent group training. Intervention and control group families were reassessed three times over a period of 1 year. Contrary to our expectations, we found no advantages of the intervention group compared with the usual care control group on any outcome measure. Instead, we found some significant changes in both groups across time. Placement into foster care is associated with some favorable outcomes for children in foster care. Additional support for foster families beyond the services delivered in the youth welfare system to foster parents was not associated with more favorable outcomes. The present intervention is likely associated with a low risk of harm but also with a high likelihood of a lack of significant benefits for foster parents and their young children going beyond feeling satisfied about the delivered services. Participating foster families showed favorable baseline results on parenting measures which may have impeded intervention effects to unfold on these proximal variables.

Download Full-text