Pub Date : 2021-10-29DOI: 10.1177/25161032211055457
Jodi C. Coon, J. Rapp, Erica S. Ramey
Although prescribers frequently use psychotropic medication to treat emotional and behavioral problems for children in foster care, and states are required to monitor psychotropic medication usage with foster youth, few studies have evaluated the extent to which prescribers decrease psychotropic medication. We developed a system to track medication decreases for foster youth to ascertain why deprescriptions occurred. Researchers reviewed case files for 223 children and adolescents in a child welfare system who had received services via a state-funded project from October 2016 through January 2021. We found 99 individuals who had (a) prescriptions for one or more psychotropic medications at intake and (b) received both behavioral and medication review services. Results show only 32 (32%) of individuals in this sample experienced a deprescription of psychotropic medication while receiving services from the project. Analyses for these 32 individuals revealed four key findings. First, the most frequently deprescribed medications were stimulants and antipsychotics. Second, the most common reasons for decreasing any psychotropic medication were (a) medication advocacy and (b) adverse side effects. Notably, only foster youth aged 12 years or younger experienced medication reductions due to adverse side effects. Third, stimulants and antipsychotics accounted for the highest percentage of undesirable side effects. Fourth, practitioners deprescribed stimulants and antipsychotics for adverse side effects two times more often than for behavior or symptom improvement. These findings may contribute to the development of deprescribing guidelines for children in state welfare systems.
{"title":"Reasons why Prescribers Decrease Psychotropic Medication for Foster Youth","authors":"Jodi C. Coon, J. Rapp, Erica S. Ramey","doi":"10.1177/25161032211055457","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211055457","url":null,"abstract":"Although prescribers frequently use psychotropic medication to treat emotional and behavioral problems for children in foster care, and states are required to monitor psychotropic medication usage with foster youth, few studies have evaluated the extent to which prescribers decrease psychotropic medication. We developed a system to track medication decreases for foster youth to ascertain why deprescriptions occurred. Researchers reviewed case files for 223 children and adolescents in a child welfare system who had received services via a state-funded project from October 2016 through January 2021. We found 99 individuals who had (a) prescriptions for one or more psychotropic medications at intake and (b) received both behavioral and medication review services. Results show only 32 (32%) of individuals in this sample experienced a deprescription of psychotropic medication while receiving services from the project. Analyses for these 32 individuals revealed four key findings. First, the most frequently deprescribed medications were stimulants and antipsychotics. Second, the most common reasons for decreasing any psychotropic medication were (a) medication advocacy and (b) adverse side effects. Notably, only foster youth aged 12 years or younger experienced medication reductions due to adverse side effects. Third, stimulants and antipsychotics accounted for the highest percentage of undesirable side effects. Fourth, practitioners deprescribed stimulants and antipsychotics for adverse side effects two times more often than for behavior or symptom improvement. These findings may contribute to the development of deprescribing guidelines for children in state welfare systems.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49546793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-10-26DOI: 10.1177/25161032211053340
G. Osei
Only a limited number of studies have investigated the association between positive peer influence and youth prosocial behavior in child welfare. None of such studies has been completed in group home setting for youth. This study aimed to examine if positive peer influence is associated with (or predicts) youth prosocial behavior. The Ontario Looking After Children (OnLAC) database was used for analysis. There were 875 participants (males and females) aged 10 to 17 who were surveyed in group homes in 2010–2011. A full regression analysis found strong association between positive peer influence and youth prosocial behavior. The main predictive effect of gender was observed to be modestly associated with youths’ prosocial behavior as demonstrated by the adjusted and unadjusted main predictive effects (OR = .67 and .63). There was a significant positive peer influence by group home size interaction and its moderating effect was such that positive peer influence significantly predicted youths’ prosocial behaviors in small homes (incremental ORs of 2.00 and 4.49), but not in large homes. Findings show that positive peer influence informs youth prosocial behaviors in group homes.
{"title":"Youth, prosociality, and child welfare: an investigation of positive peer influence and youth prosocial behavior in group home care","authors":"G. Osei","doi":"10.1177/25161032211053340","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211053340","url":null,"abstract":"Only a limited number of studies have investigated the association between positive peer influence and youth prosocial behavior in child welfare. None of such studies has been completed in group home setting for youth. This study aimed to examine if positive peer influence is associated with (or predicts) youth prosocial behavior. The Ontario Looking After Children (OnLAC) database was used for analysis. There were 875 participants (males and females) aged 10 to 17 who were surveyed in group homes in 2010–2011. A full regression analysis found strong association between positive peer influence and youth prosocial behavior. The main predictive effect of gender was observed to be modestly associated with youths’ prosocial behavior as demonstrated by the adjusted and unadjusted main predictive effects (OR = .67 and .63). There was a significant positive peer influence by group home size interaction and its moderating effect was such that positive peer influence significantly predicted youths’ prosocial behaviors in small homes (incremental ORs of 2.00 and 4.49), but not in large homes. Findings show that positive peer influence informs youth prosocial behaviors in group homes.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48164540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-01DOI: 10.1177/25161032211036162
K. Kozlowska, Stephen Scher, Helene Helgeland, P. Carrive
Asylum-seeking children presenting in the shutdown state have been the subject of much discussion and controversy—on both government and medical system levels—in Australia and in Sweden. In this article, we conceptualize the shutdown state as an evolutionary response to extreme threat. We adopt a neuroscience approach to present five plausible models for explaining this shutdown state, their strengths and shortcomings, and the overlaps between them. Model 1—the sustained autonomic arousal model—draws on polyvagal theory. Model 2—the innate-defence model—draws on research pertaining to animal and human innate defence responses. Model 3—the catatonia model—draws on clinical and research data with patients presenting with catatonia. Model 4—the hypometabolic model—draws on an emerging body of work pertaining to hypometabolic states in animals and humans. Model 5—the defence cascade model of dissociation—draws on clinical research pertaining to human trauma states that present as dissociation. At present, each of the models provides a plausible pathophysiological explanation—or a component of a potential pathophysiological explanation—and none of them, for the moment, has enough evidence to be either accepted or disregarded. We hope that our discussion of the models advances scientific discussion and opens up possibilities for effective treatment.
{"title":"Asylum-seeking children in shutdown: Neurobiological models","authors":"K. Kozlowska, Stephen Scher, Helene Helgeland, P. Carrive","doi":"10.1177/25161032211036162","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211036162","url":null,"abstract":"Asylum-seeking children presenting in the shutdown state have been the subject of much discussion and controversy—on both government and medical system levels—in Australia and in Sweden. In this article, we conceptualize the shutdown state as an evolutionary response to extreme threat. We adopt a neuroscience approach to present five plausible models for explaining this shutdown state, their strengths and shortcomings, and the overlaps between them. Model 1—the sustained autonomic arousal model—draws on polyvagal theory. Model 2—the innate-defence model—draws on research pertaining to animal and human innate defence responses. Model 3—the catatonia model—draws on clinical and research data with patients presenting with catatonia. Model 4—the hypometabolic model—draws on an emerging body of work pertaining to hypometabolic states in animals and humans. Model 5—the defence cascade model of dissociation—draws on clinical research pertaining to human trauma states that present as dissociation. At present, each of the models provides a plausible pathophysiological explanation—or a component of a potential pathophysiological explanation—and none of them, for the moment, has enough evidence to be either accepted or disregarded. We hope that our discussion of the models advances scientific discussion and opens up possibilities for effective treatment.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46225303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-01DOI: 10.1177/25161032211034255
S. Leathers, Beth L. Vande Voort, Catherine Melka-Kaffer
Children at risk for placement instability are subpopulation in out-of-home care with a critical need for enhanced mental health services, but little is known about the types and adequacy of the mental services they receive. This descriptive study sought to identify the types of mental health services and psychotropic medications provided to children with a risk for moves, foster parents’ perceptions of their adequacy, consistency of therapy services with evidence-based models, and racial and gender differences in service provision. Foster parents completed telephone surveys for a randomly selected sample of 144 children aged 8–14 in specialized or traditional family foster care with a history of placement moves or hospitalizations in a large state in the US. Over two-thirds of children were reported to have mental health diagnoses, with ADHD most frequent (52%). Most children with a diagnosis received psychotherapy (75%) and psychotropic medications (90%). The majority did not receive additional services. A quarter received therapy supporting use of behavioral interventions in foster homes, with 40% of foster parents reporting this was inadequate. Additionally, half reported inadequate initial training. No racial differences in services were reported. However, girls were more likely to receive therapy described as trauma-focused than boys (30.9% and 5.6%, respectively); more boys received treatment for anger (17%) and psychotropic medication (60%). Findings indicate that children at risk for multiple moves receive a high level of services, but questions are raised about the content and adequacy of these services. Evidence-based psychosocial interventions are needed to support positive outcomes and potentially reduce psychotropic medication use.
{"title":"Mental health services and psychotropic medications provided to children at risk for placement instability in foster care","authors":"S. Leathers, Beth L. Vande Voort, Catherine Melka-Kaffer","doi":"10.1177/25161032211034255","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211034255","url":null,"abstract":"Children at risk for placement instability are subpopulation in out-of-home care with a critical need for enhanced mental health services, but little is known about the types and adequacy of the mental services they receive. This descriptive study sought to identify the types of mental health services and psychotropic medications provided to children with a risk for moves, foster parents’ perceptions of their adequacy, consistency of therapy services with evidence-based models, and racial and gender differences in service provision. Foster parents completed telephone surveys for a randomly selected sample of 144 children aged 8–14 in specialized or traditional family foster care with a history of placement moves or hospitalizations in a large state in the US. Over two-thirds of children were reported to have mental health diagnoses, with ADHD most frequent (52%). Most children with a diagnosis received psychotherapy (75%) and psychotropic medications (90%). The majority did not receive additional services. A quarter received therapy supporting use of behavioral interventions in foster homes, with 40% of foster parents reporting this was inadequate. Additionally, half reported inadequate initial training. No racial differences in services were reported. However, girls were more likely to receive therapy described as trauma-focused than boys (30.9% and 5.6%, respectively); more boys received treatment for anger (17%) and psychotropic medication (60%). Findings indicate that children at risk for multiple moves receive a high level of services, but questions are raised about the content and adequacy of these services. Evidence-based psychosocial interventions are needed to support positive outcomes and potentially reduce psychotropic medication use.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43438678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-01DOI: 10.1177/25161032211046409
Alhassan Abdullah, E. Cudjoe, Wonjung Ryu, Clifton R. Emery
Growing literature on COVID-19 shows an increase in family violence and child maltreatment cases as a result of the public health preventive measures including lockdowns and movement restrictions. These restrictions negatively affect victims’ ability to seek social services or leave the violent relationship. There are some indications of hope, however, as countries have begun easing restrictions which may enable victims to seek social services. Yet, the fluidity of COVID-19, emergence of complex variants of COVID-19 virus, continues restrictions on face-to-face engagements and evidence of re-entry into lockdown suggest that social services would not be fully available for victims of family violence. We offer a practical community intervention approach through informal social control for victims of family violence during and even after the COVID-19 pandemic.
{"title":"During and beyond the frequent lockdowns: Addressing the pandemic (COVID-19)–related family violence through informal social control","authors":"Alhassan Abdullah, E. Cudjoe, Wonjung Ryu, Clifton R. Emery","doi":"10.1177/25161032211046409","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211046409","url":null,"abstract":"Growing literature on COVID-19 shows an increase in family violence and child maltreatment cases as a result of the public health preventive measures including lockdowns and movement restrictions. These restrictions negatively affect victims’ ability to seek social services or leave the violent relationship. There are some indications of hope, however, as countries have begun easing restrictions which may enable victims to seek social services. Yet, the fluidity of COVID-19, emergence of complex variants of COVID-19 virus, continues restrictions on face-to-face engagements and evidence of re-entry into lockdown suggest that social services would not be fully available for victims of family violence. We offer a practical community intervention approach through informal social control for victims of family violence during and even after the COVID-19 pandemic.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44657605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-01DOI: 10.1177/25161032211045257
A. Goldberg, D. Brodzinsky, J. Singer, Patience Crozier
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children and parents involved in the child welfare system and the professionals working with these families. Using survey data collected August–September of 2020, this mixed-methods study examined the perspectives of 196 child welfare-involved professionals (77 attorneys, 99 caseworkers, and 20 therapists) in the United States about the impact of COVID-19 on parents of origin, children, foster parents, and child welfare professionals. Particular attention was paid to the implications of COVID-19 and associated challenges for parent–child contact and reunification. With respect to professional stresses, more than half of participants worried about their own personal safety and health amidst COVID-19, and more than three-quarters expressed concerns about the safety and well-being of child welfare-involved families. Participants, especially attorneys, expressed concerns about parent–child contact and disruptions to reunification. In-person parent–child visits had all but ceased during the early part of the pandemic, and participants identified barriers to effective virtual visits, including lack of foster parent oversight, technology issues, and children’s developmental stage and/or lack of engagement. Attorneys were especially critical of the cessation of in-person visits and viewed this as a serious threat to child-parent bonds and reunification. Participants, especially child welfare workers, voiced concerns about children’s mental health and educational outcomes amidst the pandemic. Findings have implications for attorneys, child welfare workers, and other practitioners who directly and indirectly interface with child welfare-involved families.
{"title":"The impact of COVID-19 on child welfare-involved families: Implications for parent–child reunification and child welfare professionals","authors":"A. Goldberg, D. Brodzinsky, J. Singer, Patience Crozier","doi":"10.1177/25161032211045257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211045257","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children and parents involved in the child welfare system and the professionals working with these families. Using survey data collected August–September of 2020, this mixed-methods study examined the perspectives of 196 child welfare-involved professionals (77 attorneys, 99 caseworkers, and 20 therapists) in the United States about the impact of COVID-19 on parents of origin, children, foster parents, and child welfare professionals. Particular attention was paid to the implications of COVID-19 and associated challenges for parent–child contact and reunification. With respect to professional stresses, more than half of participants worried about their own personal safety and health amidst COVID-19, and more than three-quarters expressed concerns about the safety and well-being of child welfare-involved families. Participants, especially attorneys, expressed concerns about parent–child contact and disruptions to reunification. In-person parent–child visits had all but ceased during the early part of the pandemic, and participants identified barriers to effective virtual visits, including lack of foster parent oversight, technology issues, and children’s developmental stage and/or lack of engagement. Attorneys were especially critical of the cessation of in-person visits and viewed this as a serious threat to child-parent bonds and reunification. Participants, especially child welfare workers, voiced concerns about children’s mental health and educational outcomes amidst the pandemic. Findings have implications for attorneys, child welfare workers, and other practitioners who directly and indirectly interface with child welfare-involved families.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42656827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-05DOI: 10.1177/25161032211020756
Audra K. Langley, Matthew A. Ruderman, J. Waterman, T. Franke
The emergence of COVID-19 forced significant adaptations for families worldwide. Children and youth in foster care and their caregivers or resource parents experience unique stressors. The current study aimed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and “Safer-at-Home” orders on resource parents in Los Angeles County. Resource parents (n = 648) were surveyed about COVID-19 concerns, positive impact and strengths, access to and helpfulness of provided resources, visits with birth parents, children joining their families during the pandemic, and transition to telehealth. Between one-third and half of resource parents with foster or foster-adoptive children in their home reported significant anxiety about issues such as getting infected, uncertainty about the future, and financial hardship. In contrast, most resource parents reported some perceived benefits, such as increased family closeness. The most helpful resource reported was video visitation by social workers. A quarter of resource parents experienced in-person birth parent visits. Developmentally, parents with a foster or fosteradoptive child 0–5 years old reported significantly more worries related to COVID-19, while those with children of multiple ages reported feeling less valued as a resource parent and expressed more concerns about children falling behind with school, mental health and developmental services, birth parent visits, and delayed reunification. Lastly, younger parental age, fewer foster children in the home, and the less negative impact from COVID-19 a resource parent reported having were associated with an increased likelihood of resource parents welcoming a child into their home. Implications for policy and recommendations for practice are discussed.
{"title":"Impact of COVID-19 on resource families: Unique challenges and strengths","authors":"Audra K. Langley, Matthew A. Ruderman, J. Waterman, T. Franke","doi":"10.1177/25161032211020756","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211020756","url":null,"abstract":"The emergence of COVID-19 forced significant adaptations for families worldwide. Children and youth in foster care and their caregivers or resource parents experience unique stressors. The current study aimed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and “Safer-at-Home” orders on resource parents in Los Angeles County. Resource parents (n = 648) were surveyed about COVID-19 concerns, positive impact and strengths, access to and helpfulness of provided resources, visits with birth parents, children joining their families during the pandemic, and transition to telehealth. Between one-third and half of resource parents with foster or foster-adoptive children in their home reported significant anxiety about issues such as getting infected, uncertainty about the future, and financial hardship. In contrast, most resource parents reported some perceived benefits, such as increased family closeness. The most helpful resource reported was video visitation by social workers. A quarter of resource parents experienced in-person birth parent visits. Developmentally, parents with a foster or fosteradoptive child 0–5 years old reported significantly more worries related to COVID-19, while those with children of multiple ages reported feeling less valued as a resource parent and expressed more concerns about children falling behind with school, mental health and developmental services, birth parent visits, and delayed reunification. Lastly, younger parental age, fewer foster children in the home, and the less negative impact from COVID-19 a resource parent reported having were associated with an increased likelihood of resource parents welcoming a child into their home. Implications for policy and recommendations for practice are discussed.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/25161032211020756","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42256379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-04DOI: 10.1177/25161032211021436
D. Maguire, David J. Mccormack, C. Downes, Tom Teggart, T. Fosker
It is established that the development of psychological well-being and cognitive skills for Looked After and Adopted Children/Young People (LAACYP) is impacted by their experiences before and after entry into care. Language and communication skills are typically considered to have a reciprocal relationship with cognitive development, but the language skills of the LAACYP population are currently underspecified. The current study explores the severity and specificity of language and communication difficulty in a LAACYP population and the association between these difficulties and several care-related factors, including mental health and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Fifty-seven children aged 4–16 either in foster care or an adoptive placement were sampled via carer-report, using the Children’s Communication Checklist 2. Forty-two of these children’s mental health needs were also sampled using the Assessment Checklist for Children. The child’s social worker completed information regarding ACEs and care-related factors. Based on UK norms, the performance of 68% of the children sampled was consistent with the lowest 10% of the general population for language and communication ability. Similar levels of severity were found for both structural and pragmatic abilities. Language and communication difficulties were associated with older children, later age of entry into care and placement type (foster care vs. adoption) but not placement disruption. A significant relationship was found between mental health and language difficulty, but no link was established with ACEs. This study highlights the severity and pervasiveness of language and communication impairment among many of the LAACYP population and its association with psychological well-being.
{"title":"The impact of care-related factors on the language and communication needs of looked after and adopted children/young people","authors":"D. Maguire, David J. Mccormack, C. Downes, Tom Teggart, T. Fosker","doi":"10.1177/25161032211021436","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211021436","url":null,"abstract":"It is established that the development of psychological well-being and cognitive skills for Looked After and Adopted Children/Young People (LAACYP) is impacted by their experiences before and after entry into care. Language and communication skills are typically considered to have a reciprocal relationship with cognitive development, but the language skills of the LAACYP population are currently underspecified. The current study explores the severity and specificity of language and communication difficulty in a LAACYP population and the association between these difficulties and several care-related factors, including mental health and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Fifty-seven children aged 4–16 either in foster care or an adoptive placement were sampled via carer-report, using the Children’s Communication Checklist 2. Forty-two of these children’s mental health needs were also sampled using the Assessment Checklist for Children. The child’s social worker completed information regarding ACEs and care-related factors. Based on UK norms, the performance of 68% of the children sampled was consistent with the lowest 10% of the general population for language and communication ability. Similar levels of severity were found for both structural and pragmatic abilities. Language and communication difficulties were associated with older children, later age of entry into care and placement type (foster care vs. adoption) but not placement disruption. A significant relationship was found between mental health and language difficulty, but no link was established with ACEs. This study highlights the severity and pervasiveness of language and communication impairment among many of the LAACYP population and its association with psychological well-being.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/25161032211021436","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46459108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-01DOI: 10.1177/25161032211014899
Franziska Köhler-Dauner, Vera Clemens, Katherina Hildebrand, Ute Ziegenhain, Jörg M Fegert
The SARS-CoV-2-pandemic is associated different challenges, especially for families. The disruption and challenges require parents to develop strategies to cope with the current situation. One factor that may influence how parents deal with pandemic-associated stressors are experiences of parental childhood maltreatment (CM), which represent a high risk of engaging in endangered parenting. A decisive candidate for the connection between parental CM and the transgenerational transmission could be the parental ability to employ coping strategies. Mothers of a well-documented birth cohort for investigating the pathways leading to resilience or vulnerability in the transgenerational transmission of CM were imbedded in an online "SARS-CoV-2 pandemic survey" assessing maternal ability for coping strategies and the dimension of endangered maternal parenting behavior. 91 mothers completed the online survey. To describe the maternal CM, data from a longitudinal survey were used. Our mediation analysis shows a significant positive relationship between the sum of maternal CM experiences, lack of coping strategies and endangered parenting behavior. This suggests a partial mediation of the association between CM and endangered parenting behavior as the direct effect remained significant when the maternal lack of coping strategies was included as the mediator. Parental CM is a risk factor for coping with stressful situation as well as for endangered parenting behavior. The ability to deal with stress seems to have a significant influence on the context of a possible transgenerational transmission of CM. The results underline the need to consider the unique needs of families with children and to support them as to how to overcome the current crisis.
{"title":"The interplay between maternal childhood maltreatment, parental coping strategies as well as endangered parenting behavior during the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.","authors":"Franziska Köhler-Dauner, Vera Clemens, Katherina Hildebrand, Ute Ziegenhain, Jörg M Fegert","doi":"10.1177/25161032211014899","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211014899","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The SARS-CoV-2-pandemic is associated different challenges, especially for families. The disruption and challenges require parents to develop strategies to cope with the current situation. One factor that may influence how parents deal with pandemic-associated stressors are experiences of parental childhood maltreatment (CM), which represent a high risk of engaging in endangered parenting. A decisive candidate for the connection between parental CM and the transgenerational transmission could be the parental ability to employ coping strategies. Mothers of a well-documented birth cohort for investigating the pathways leading to resilience or vulnerability in the transgenerational transmission of CM were imbedded in an online \"SARS-CoV-2 pandemic survey\" assessing maternal ability for coping strategies and the dimension of endangered maternal parenting behavior. 91 mothers completed the online survey. To describe the maternal CM, data from a longitudinal survey were used. Our mediation analysis shows a significant positive relationship between the sum of maternal CM experiences, lack of coping strategies and endangered parenting behavior. This suggests a partial mediation of the association between CM and endangered parenting behavior as the direct effect remained significant when the maternal lack of coping strategies was included as the mediator. Parental CM is a risk factor for coping with stressful situation as well as for endangered parenting behavior. The ability to deal with stress seems to have a significant influence on the context of a possible transgenerational transmission of CM. The results underline the need to consider the unique needs of families with children and to support them as to how to overcome the current crisis.</p>","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/25161032211014899","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39344736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-01DOI: 10.1177/25161032211019048
Kwabena Frimpong‐Manso, E. Cudjoe, Alhassan Abdullah, Antoine Deliege, E. Eshun
Formal foster care is a relatively new phenomenon in Ghana. The practice is in conformity with international and national policy guidelines to deinstitutionalize and strengthen family-based care for children without adequate parental care. In addition to the known challenges of foster parenting in Ghana (stigma, financial challenges and emotional strain, inexperience of the foster parents), the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 restrictions may worsen caregivers’ burden and negatively affect children in care. This study explored how foster parents are meeting their caregiving demands during the COVID-19 pandemic in the face of existing and new challenges. Following a participatory practice research approach, a co-constructed interview guide by the researchers and a practitioner was used to conduct in-depth telephone interviews with 13 foster parents. Findings from thematic analysis of the interviews showed challenges, including increased cost of caregiving and multiple caregiving duties as challenges facing foster parents whereas children’s knowledge about the virus, informal support and religious beliefs collectively enhanced caregiving during the pandemic. The findings provide learning about ways to alleviate parenting challenges for foster parents during and after the pandemic. Specifically, interventions that view children as actors for change and strengthen community and religious bodies to deliver psychosocial services would be useful to improve foster parenting.
{"title":"Keeping families afloat: Foster carer’s parenting experiences during COVID-19 in Ghana and implications for practice","authors":"Kwabena Frimpong‐Manso, E. Cudjoe, Alhassan Abdullah, Antoine Deliege, E. Eshun","doi":"10.1177/25161032211019048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032211019048","url":null,"abstract":"Formal foster care is a relatively new phenomenon in Ghana. The practice is in conformity with international and national policy guidelines to deinstitutionalize and strengthen family-based care for children without adequate parental care. In addition to the known challenges of foster parenting in Ghana (stigma, financial challenges and emotional strain, inexperience of the foster parents), the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 restrictions may worsen caregivers’ burden and negatively affect children in care. This study explored how foster parents are meeting their caregiving demands during the COVID-19 pandemic in the face of existing and new challenges. Following a participatory practice research approach, a co-constructed interview guide by the researchers and a practitioner was used to conduct in-depth telephone interviews with 13 foster parents. Findings from thematic analysis of the interviews showed challenges, including increased cost of caregiving and multiple caregiving duties as challenges facing foster parents whereas children’s knowledge about the virus, informal support and religious beliefs collectively enhanced caregiving during the pandemic. The findings provide learning about ways to alleviate parenting challenges for foster parents during and after the pandemic. Specifically, interventions that view children as actors for change and strengthen community and religious bodies to deliver psychosocial services would be useful to improve foster parenting.","PeriodicalId":36239,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Child Welfare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47493160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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