Foster care children and family homelessness

Addressing Mental Health and Trauma-Related Needs of Sheltered Children and Families with Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Children and adolescents ("youth") experiencing homelessness are at a disproportionately high risk of exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTE). However, limited evidence exists as to what interventions are effective when implemented with this high-risk population. The purpose of this study was to (1) document the mental health and trauma-related needs of sheltered youth and their mothers, and (2) examine the feasibility/effectiveness of Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) administered within the context of a homeless shelter. Three hundred and twenty-one youth (Mage = 10.06 years, SD = 3.24 years, 56.4% male, 70.1% Black/African American, 34.6% Hispanic/Latinx) and their mothers were recruited from a homeless shelter and provided 10 weeks of TF-CBT, with the option for up to eight additional weeks of therapy based on clinical need. Families completed pre- and post-intervention assessments. Results demonstrated clinically elevated pre-intervention PTSD symptoms and rates of exposure to PTE in sheltered youth well above those previously reported in the general population. TF-CBT resulted in substantial reductions in both maternal and self-reported severity of youth PTSD symptomology, which were largely attributable to reductions in re-experiencing and arousal. Effectiveness of TF-CBT varied by age and the number of exposures to PTE. Overall, these findings illustrate the importance of assessing and addressing the mental health and trauma-related needs of sheltered youth and the feasibility and efficacy of embedding an evidence-based trauma-focused treatment protocol within a shelter environment. Additional implications of these findings are discussed.

Association of Housing Stress With Child Maltreatment: A Systematic Review

Child maltreatment is a significant public health issue in the United States. Understanding key risk factors for child maltreatment is critical to informing effective prevention. Poverty is an established risk factor for child maltreatment. However, recent research indicates that material hardship (i.e., difficulties meeting basic needs) may serve as a more direct measure of the way in which poverty affects daily life. One form of material hardship that is common among families is housing stress. Previous reviews have summarized the existing literature regarding the association of economic insecurity with child maltreatment, but no reviews have synthesized and critically evaluated the literature specific to the association of various types of housing stress with child maltreatment. We conducted a systematic search of multiple electronic databases to identify peer-reviewed studies conducted in the U.S. regarding the association of housing stress with child maltreatment. We identified 21 articles that used nine distinct measures of housing stress including homelessness or eviction, homeless or emergency shelter stays, foreclosure filing, housing instability, inadequate housing, physical housing risk, living doubled-up, housing unaffordability, and composite housing stress indicators. Overall, results from this body of literature indicate that housing stress is associated with an increased likelihood of caregiver or child self-reported maltreatment, child protective services (CPS) reports, investigated and substantiated CPS reports, out-of-home placements, and maltreatment death. Additional theory-driven research is needed to further our understanding of the contribution of specific types of housing stress to risk for specific types of maltreatment.

Evicted children and subsequent placement in out-of-home care: A cohort study

Background

Evictions may have serious consequences for individuals’ health and wellbeing. Even though an eviction may be experienced as a significant crisis for the family, there is little previous knowledge on consequences for evicted children. This study represents the first attempt to examine to what extent children from evicted households were separated from their parents and placed in out-of-home care (foster family or residential care) using population-based data, net of observed confounding factors related to the socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances of their parents.

Methods

This study takes advantage of information from a Swedish national database, consisting of about 8 000 evicted individuals and a random sample of 770 000 individuals from the national population, linked to individual-level, longitudinal data from Swedish national registers. Our analytical sample consists of information for more than 250 000 children born in 1995–2008, including 2 224 children from evicted households. We used binary logistic regression based on the Karlson/Holm/Breen method to account for observed imbalances at baseline between evicted and non-evicted children.

Results

Compared to non-evicted children, the crude odds ratio for placement in out-of-home care in evicted children was 12.10 (95% CI 8.54–17.14). Net of observed confounding factors related to the socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances of the parents, evicted children had a twofold elevated risk of being placed in out-of-home care (odds ratio 2.26, 95% CI 1.55–3.27). Crude OR for evicted children in comparison with children under threat of eviction (eviction not formally executed) was 1.71 (95% CI 1.17–2.49) and adjusted OR 1.58 (95% CI 1.06–2.35).

Conclusion

Children who experience eviction constitute a disadvantaged group and are at significant risk of being separated from their parents and placed in out-of-home care. These results demonstrate the importance of providing support for these children and their parents. Strategies to prevent households with children from being evicted seem to be an important and viable intervention path.

'We are always in some form of contact': friendships among homeless drug and alcohol users living in hostels

Homeless drug and alcohol users are one of the most marginalised groups in society. They frequently have complex needs and limited social support. In this paper, we explore the role of friendship in the lives of homeless drug and alcohol users living in hostels, using the concepts of 'social capital' and 'recovery capital' to frame the analyses. The study was undertaken in three hostels, each in a different English city, during 2013-2014. Audio recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 residents (9 females; 21 males) who self-reported drink and/or drug problems; follow-up interviews were completed 4-6 weeks later with 22 participants (6 females; 16 males). Data were transcribed verbatim, coded using the software package MAXQDA, and analysed using Framework. Only 21 participants reported current friends at interview 1, and friendship networks were small and changeable. Despite this, participants desired friendships that were culturally normative. Eight categories of friend emerged from the data: family-like friends; using friends; homeless friends; childhood friends; online-only friends; drug treatment friends; work friends; and mutual interest friends. Routine and regular contact was highly valued, with family-like friends appearing to offer the most constant practical and emotional support. The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) was central to many participants' friendships, keeping them connected to social support and recovery capital outside homelessness and substance-using worlds. We conclude that those working with homeless drug and alcohol users - and potentially other marginalised populations - could beneficially encourage their clients to identify and build upon their most positive and reliable relationships. Additionally, they might explore ways of promoting the use of ICTs to combat loneliness and isolation. Texting, emailing, online mutual aid meetings, chatrooms, Internet penpals, skyping and other social media all offer potentially valuable opportunities for building friendships that can bolster otherwise limited social and recovery capital.

Parent-adolescent communication in foster, inter-country adoptive, and biological Italian families: Gender and generational differences

There is a paucity of studies aimed at comparing how parents and children in different family structures cope with the challenges posed by the adolescence transition; in particular, there are few studies aimed at comparing adoptive and foster families. In order to partially fill this gap, the principal aims of the present study were to verify whether there are differences in parent-child communication among foster, intercountry adoptive, and biological families according to the adolescents' gender, and to compare the perceptions of parents and adolescents concerning parent-child communication. Data were elaborated on two levels: a generational level (adolescent's and his/her parents' perceptions among the three family groups) and a dyadic level (mother-child and father-child perceptions). The sample was composed of 276 Italian families with adolescents aged between 11 and 17 (81 foster, 98 international adoptive, and 97 biological families). Subjects (mothers, fathers, and children) filled out a questionnaire including the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (Barnes & Olson, 1985 ). Results highlighted that in foster families, parent-child communication showed more difficulties from both the adolescent's and the parents' point of view. Adoptive adolescents, however, reported a more positive communication with both their parents than did their peers living in biological and foster families. At a dyadic level, some differences emerged among the three groups. In biological families, a more pronounced distance emerged between parents and children. In adoptive families, father and adolescent shared more similar perceptions, whereas a significant discrepancy emerged between mother and child. A higher level of perceptual congruence between adolescents and parents was found in foster families. Gender differences were also seen: Mothers experienced a more open communication with their children than did fathers, and adolescents, and above all females, communicated better with their mothers than with their fathers in all three family groups. Il existe peu d'études qui visent à comparer comment les parents et les enfants, dans différentes structures familiales, composent avec les défis amenés par la transition à l'adolescence; en particulier, il existe peu d'études qui visent à comparer les familles adoptives et les familles d'accueil. Dans le but de combler en partie cette lacune, les principaux buts de la présente étude étaient de vérifier s'il existe des différences dans la communication parent-enfant entre les familles d'accueil, les familles adoptives (adoption entre pays) et les familles biologiques en fonction du sexe des adolescents et de comparer les perceptions des parents et des adolescents au sujet de la communication parent-enfant. Les données ont été élaborées à deux niveaux: un niveau générationnel (les perceptions de l'adolescent et de son parent parmi les trois groupes familiaux) et un niveau dyadique (perceptions mère-enfant et père-enfant). L'échantillon était composé de 276 familles italiennes avec adolescents entre 11 et 17 ans (81 familles d'accueil, 98 familles adoptives internationales et 97 familles biologiques). Les participants (mères, pères et enfants) ont complété un questionnaire incluant le «Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale (Barnes & Olson, 1985 ). Les résultats ont souligné que, dans les familles d'accueil, la communication parent-enfant a montré plus de difficultés à la fois du point de vue de l'adolescent et du point du parent. Cependant, les adolescents adoptifs ont évalué leur communication avec leurs mères et pères comme étant plus positive en comparaison à leurs pairs vivant dans des familles d'accueil et dans des familles biologiques. A un niveau dyadique, quelques différences ont émergé entre les trois groupes. Dans les familles biologiques, une distance plus prononcée a émergé entre les parents et les enfants. Dans les familles adoptives, le père et l'adolescent partageaient des perceptions similaires, tandis qu'une différence significative a émergé entre la mère et l'enfant. Un plus grand niveau de congruence perceptuelle entre les adolescents et les parents a été trouvé dans les familles d'accueil. Des différences entre les sexes ont aussi apparu: en comparaison aux pères, les mères ont expérimenté une communication plus ouverte avec leurs enfants et les adolescents, surtout les filles, communiquaient mieux avec leurs mères qu'avec leurs pères dans les trois groupes familiaux. Son escasos los estudios que se han propuesto comparar cómo los padres e hijos pertenecientes a diferentes estructuras familiares afrontan los retos que impone la transición a la adolescencia; en particular, pocos estudios comparan las familias adoptivas y las que ejercen el cuidado temporal. Para subsanar parcialmente esta deficiencia, los propósitos principales de el presente estudio fueron verificar si difiere la comunicación padres-hijos entre familias que ejercen cuidado temporal, aquéllas adoptivas entre países, y biológicas de acuerdo con el sexo del adolescente, y comparar las percepciones de los padres y de los adolescentes en cuanto a la comunicación padres-hijo. Los datos se analizaron en dos niveles: un nivel de generaciones (las percepciones del adolescente y de sus padres entre los tres grupos de familias) y un nivel de díadas (las percepciones madre-hijo y padre-hijo). Doscientas setenta y seis familias italianas con adolescentes entre 11 y 17 años de edad (81 familias de cuidado temporal, 98 adoptivas internacionalmente y 97 biológicas) constituyeron la muestra. Los participantes (madres, padres e hijos) respondieron a un cuestionario que incluía la Escala de Comunicación Padre-Adolescente (Barnes & Olson, 1985 ). Los resultados resaltan más dificultades en la comunicación padres-hijo en las familias que ejercen cuidado temporal, tanto desde la perspectiva del adolescente como de los padres. En tanto que los adolescentes adoptados perciben una comunicación más positiva que la de sus compañeros que viven en familias biológicas y de cuidado temporal. En el nivel de díadas, surgieron algunas diferencias entre los tres grupos. En las familias biológicas, se observó una distancia más pronunciada entre padres e hijos. En las familias adoptivas, el padre y el adolescente comparten percepciones más similares, mientras que discrepan significativamente madre e hijo. Se encontró un nivel mayor de congruencia perceptual entre los adolescentes y sus padres en las familias de cuidado temporal. En cuanto a diferencias de género, las madres experimentan una comunicación más abierta con sus hijos en comparación con los padres, y los adolescentes, sobretodo las mujeres, se comunican mejor con sus madres que con sus padres en los tres grupos de familias.

Health care for the homeless: what we have learned in the past 30 years and what's next

In the 1980s, the combined effects of deinstitutionalization from state mental hospitals and the economic recession increased the number and transformed the demographic profile of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Specialized health care for the homeless (HCH) services were developed when it became clear that the mainstream health care system could not sufficiently address their health needs. The HCH program has grown consistently during that period; currently, 208 HCH sites are operating, and the program has become embedded in the federal health care system. We reflect on lessons learned from the HCH model and its applicability to the changing landscape of US health care.

A systematic literature review of the risk factors associated with children entering public care

Children who enter public care are among the most vulnerable in society. In addition to services for their medical needs, a focus on identifying and intervening with families in need where children are at high risk of entering public care is a public health priority. This paper aims to identify the characteristics of children, their parents or their social circumstances which are associated with children entering public care. The databases searched were CSA Illumina, British Education Index, ChildData, CINAHL, Excerpta Medica, MEDLINE, the Campbell and Cochrane Collaborations, NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, NHS Evidence, Social Care Online and TRIP; from start dates to 7 February 2011. A total of 6417 titles were reviewed. After review, 10 papers with cohort or case-control methodologies met the inclusion criteria and the included papers were appraised using questions from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme to guide the critique of case-control and cohort studies. A narrative synthesis is used to describe the research identified. Socio-economic status, maternal age at birth, health risk factors and other factors including learning difficulties, membership of an ethnic minority group and single parenthood are described as risk factors associated with children entering public care. Health risk factors have been explored using databases developed for other purposes such as health insurance or hospital discharge. A number of risk factors for children entering public care are identified from the literature, some were culturally specific and may not generalize. The interaction between different risk factors needs testing in longitudinal data sets.

Common needs but divergent interventions for U.S. homeless and foster care children: results from a systematic review

Many children living in homeless situations in the U.S. have temporary stays in foster care, and both populations suffer disproportionately higher rates of physical, psychological and social difficulties compared with other children. However, very little is known about which specific interventions achieve the best outcomes for children in these overlapping transitional living situations. To address this gap, we review existing literature to identify the most promising practices for children living in transition. A standardised vocabulary specific to each of three electronic databases (i.e. Medline, PsychINFO and CINAHL) was employed to identify studies that described an intervention specifically targeting foster care or homeless children and families. Separate systematic searches were conducted for homeless and foster children, and only studies published in English between January 1993 and February 2009 were selected. The final sample (n = 43) of articles described interventions that fell into two categories: mental health (n = 17) and case management (n = 26). No article included a sample containing both homeless and foster care children, and most studies on homeless children used case management interventions while most studies on foster care children focused on mental health interventions. Few articles employed rigorous study designs. Although repeatedly studies have demonstrated the overlap between populations of homeless and foster care children, studies focused on one population or the other. Virtually all studies on both homeless and foster children devised interventions to reduce trauma and family instability; yet, no evidence-based practice addresses the overlapping needs and potentially relevant evidence-based practice for these two populations. An important and vital next step is to establish an effective evidence-based intervention that reduces the impact of trauma on both U.S. populations of children living in transition.

Life course outcomes on mental and physical health: the impact of foster care on adulthood

OBJECTIVE

We compared the prevalence rates of mental health and physical health problems between adults with histories of childhood foster care and those without.

METHODS

We used 2003-2005 California Health Interview Survey data (n = 70,456) to test our hypothesis that adults with childhood histories of foster care will report higher rates of mental and physical health concerns, including those that affect the ability to work, than will those without.

RESULTS

Adults with a history of childhood foster care had more than twice the odds of receiving Social Security Disability Insurance because they were unable to work owing to mental or physical health problems for the past year, even after stratifying by age and adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood foster care may be a sentinel event, signaling the increased risk of adulthood mental and physical health problems. A mental and physical health care delivery program that includes screening and treatment and ensures follow-up for children and youths who have had contact with the foster care system may decrease these individuals' disproportionately high prevalence of poor outcomes throughout their adulthood.

Parenting adults who become homeless: variations in stress and social support

This article focuses on the stressors of parenting an adult child who experiences homelessness. Parents whose adult children become homeless may provide support to this child, but they may also subsequently experience stress and require social support themselves. Findings from this study support the hypothesis that parents who spend more time or money helping their homeless adult offspring experience higher levels of stress. Results also show higher levels of stress among parents who helped with activities of daily living and among parents who worked to prevent harm involving their adult homeless offspring. Among 37 respondents, a majority of whom were African American mothers parenting homeless sons, parents who engaged in activities to prevent harm and parents who experienced stress from harm prevention received more extensive social support. Health and social service providers should recognize and respond to the financial, emotional, and temporal burdens of parenting an adult who becomes homeless. Service providers can both support people who become homeless and reinforce larger family systems, particularly in circumstances that involve more extensive parental support or more harmful situations.

What research tells us about the intersecting streams of homelessness and foster care

This paper reviews mounting evidence linking foster care and homelessness and considers new approaches for intervention. Although there is no causal evidence that family homelessness leads to foster care or vice versa, the association no longer originates solely from samples of homeless people, but also from samples of people with childhood histories of foster care. Many programs work with families, children or youth based on their current living situations and limits imposed by funders. This results in discontinued services when the living situations change. Given the strong and consistent associations between homelessness and foster care, a better approach is to design programs that work with transient families regardless of their living situation. Parenting is key. Whether the parents are living with their children in homeless circumstances or are formerly homeless parents working to reunify with their children, coordinated, comprehensive, trauma-informed and family focused programs are needed to support parenting and family stability.

Impact of adulthood trauma on homeless mothers

Using the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC), we found that among homeless mothers (n = 588), those living without their children were more likely to: be older than 35 years, unmarried, have been incarcerated, have been homeless for at least 1 year, and to have used psychiatric medication. Many homeless mothers had histories of childhood trauma, but it was the accumulation of adulthood traumas that was associated with not living with one's children. Without mental health treatment, younger homeless mothers living with their children today may become the homeless mothers living without their children in the future.

Community- versus individual-level indicators to identify pediatric health care need

Increasingly, geographic information systems employing spatial data are being used to identify communities with poorer health care status. Since health care indicators are strongly linked to income, could these data, usually based on adult indicators, be used for pediatric health care need? We hypothesized that individual-level indicators such as quality of life scales (QOL) would be better than community-level indicators at identifying families with poorer health care practices. Surveys and medical record reviews were used for a sample of 174 caregivers of young children. Lower level of income was associated with poorer scores on several QOL domains, and on the primary health practices (i.e., non-urgent emergency room use and lack of age-appropriate immunization status). One community-level indicator, the medically underserved area (MUA), was almost as good as the best individual-level indicators at predicting primary health care practices. The community-level indicator of MUA appears to meet its initial intent, providing information on the location of very low-income individuals with high health care need even among a sample of Medicaid-insured children with an identified health care provider.

The impact of insurance lapse among low-income children

Children living in poverty not only have disproportionately more health problems, but also have disproportionately lower health care service utilization. Change, whether in health care delivery system or in family living situation, may interfere with or jeopardize insurance status and thereby influence access to health care services. We hypothesized that children who have maintained Medicaid insurance compared to those who have not will be more likely to have preventive care visits and less likely to have emergency room visits. We further hypothesized that transient situations such as homeless episodes, foster care placement, and living in more than one location in the same 1-year period will contribute to loss in Medicaid coverage. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at an urban children's hospital outpatient clinic at which 210 family respondents were recruited over a 1-year period. An in-person interview containing several standardized instruments was administered to the caregiver. In addition, children's medical records were retrospectively abstracted from point of study entry to first contact. Findings indicated that children who lost Medicaid coverage, compared to others, had significantly fewer preventive care health visits. There were no differences in emergency room visits. Transient situations did not appear to influence preventive or emergency room care. In addition, the change into a managed-care delivery system also increased loss of coverage. Loss of coverage may be a barrier to preventive care services. To ensure optimal preventive care services, the onus is on the providers and plans to facilitate continued insurance coverage.

African-American women who use crack cocaine: a comparison of mothers who live with and have been separated from their children

OBJECTIVE

This study examined factors that influenced caregiver status for African-American mothers who use crack cocaine but are not receiving drug treatment and participated in an HIV prevention study in North Carolina.

METHOD

Caregiver mothers who were living with at least one of their children at intake (n = 257) were compared with non-Caregivers who were separated from all of their children (n = 378). Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were used to compare these mothers at intake on current drug use, risky sex practices, psychological symptoms, victimization, and aggression.

RESULTS

Compared with Caregiver mothers, non-Caregivers reported higher frequencies of drug use, risky sex practices, psychological distress, and victimization experiences. Caregiver mothers were more likely than non-Caregiver mothers to have health insurance, but were less likely to have received drug treatment. Logistic regression found that non-Caregiver mothers were significantly more likely than Caregiver mothers to be older, to have been physically abused as children, to trade sex more frequently, to be homeless, and to have no health insurance. Recent crack use, psychological symptoms, and victimization were not significantly related to caregiver status.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings that socio-environmental factors were more strongly associated with caregiver status than crack use underscore the importance of contextual issues such as housing, victimization history, and resources in serving maternal crack users. Community outreach and interventions that engage mothers who use drugs and live with their children may be more effective strategies than formal office-based services to link mothers who use crack and their children to needed drug treatment and family and child services.

Substance use and separation of homeless mothers from their children

OBJECTIVES

This study examined whether homeless mothers with substance use problems were more likely to experience separations from their children and whether recent substance use had an impact on the family's ability to receive public entitlement income consistently over the 15-month study period.

METHODS

This study used an existing longitudinal data set consisting of a county-wide probability sample of 104 homeless women who had children under 18 years old.

RESULTS

Only 29.1% of women had all their children with them throughout the 15-month study period. Mothers who had been separated from their children were more likely to have a current substance use disorder and to have been homeless for at least a year compared to other homeless mothers.

CONCLUSIONS

Because many women with recent substance use had already had lost custody of their children, substance use contributed to loss of child custody among mothers who did not have substance use disorders.

Health issues of children in foster care

Community health nurses provide care to children in foster care. Nurses who understand the health needs of the foster care population are better prepared to assess health status, provide appropriate services and evaluate the care. The health needs of these children are related to the reason for their placement in foster care, the lack of continuity of caregivers, and the health care systems available. The health issues are especially acute in the United States where the number of children in foster care has reached over 500,000. (Leslie et al., 2000) The health issues include chronic physical problems, developmental delays, and especially, mental health issues.

The impact of childhood foster care and other out-of-home placement on homeless women and their children

OBJECTIVE

This study compares homeless women who had childhood histories of foster care or other out-of-home placement to those who have not.

METHOD

A countywide probability sample of homeless women (n = 179) received structured interviews.

RESULTS

One-third of homeless women reported being raised apart from their parents. Among women with children under age 18, most (61.5%) had children who had lived in foster care or other out-of-home placements. Variables associated with homeless mothers' children living in foster care or other out-of-home placements were: Child was school-age, mother was age 35 or older, mother had a current alcohol or drug use disorder, mother experienced childhood sexual abuse, and mother ran away from home (when under age 18).

CONCLUSIONS

Parenting is difficult for homeless mothers who may need to place their children with others to facilitate school attendance. Parent-child interaction may be problematic in family shelters where privacy is rare. Thus, programs promoting family preservation for homeless mothers should provide parenting support as well as permanent housing.

Cognitive-affective preparation for homelessness: quantitative and qualitative analyses of childhood out-of-home placement and child abuse in a sample of homeless men

Patterns of homelessness were examined against histories of childhood out-of-home placement and abuse in a sample of 146 homeless men. It was speculated that out-of-home placement and abuse influenced needs for love and belonging and were related to preparation for adult homelessness. Main effects of a 2 x 2 (placement by abuse) multivariate analysis of variance were significant with longer periods of time since first homeless and greater lengths of a current episode of homelessness associated with childhood out-of-home placement. Homeless men who had experienced abuse as a child had more episodes of homelessness than those who had not experienced abuse. Mean Brief Index of Self-actualization scores were not different for those with out-of-home placement or abuse; however, self-actualization scores were minimally lower with greater number of homeless episodes but not with total time homeless. Case histories supported the quantitative findings that loss of feelings of belonging in childhood were preparatory for chronic homelessness.