Marit Larsen1, Anouk Goemans2, Valborg Baste3, Tom F Wilderjans4,5,6, Stine Lehmann7,8. 1. Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Nygårdstangen, Postbox 22, 5838, Bergen, Norway. mala@norceresearch.no. 2. Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. 3. NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway. 4. Methodology and Statistics Research Unit, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Pieter de la Court Building, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands. 5. Research Group of Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Box 3713, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. 6. Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum (LUMC), 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. 7. Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Nygårdstangen, Postbox 22, 5838, Bergen, Norway. 8. Department of Health Promotion and Development, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Few studies have investigated possible predictors of positive outcomes for youths in foster care. The aim of this prospective follow-up study was to examine quality of life (QoL) among youths in foster care and to assess whether contextual and child factors predicted QoL. METHODS: Online questionnaires were completed by carers in Norway in 2012 (T1, n = 236, child age 6-12 years) and by youths and carers in 2017 (T2, n = 405, youth age 11-18 years). We received responses on 116 of the youths at both T1 and T2, and our final sample consisted of 525 youths with responses from T1 and/or T2. Child welfare caseworkers reported preplacement maltreatment and service use at T1. We assessed mental health and prosocial behavior at T1 by having carers complete the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and QoL at T2 with youth-reported KIDSCREEN-27. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, t-tests and multiple linear regressions, and we used multiple imputation to handle missing data. RESULTS: Youths in foster care had lower QoL across all dimensions compared to a Swedish general youth sample. QoL scores among our sample were similar to Norwegian youths with ill or substance abusing parents and to European norm data. Youths reported the highest QoL scores on the parent relations and autonomy dimension. Male gender, younger age, kinship care and prosocial behavior five years earlier predicted higher QoL. CONCLUSION: Similar to other at-risk youths, youths in foster care seem to have lower QoL than the general Scandinavian population. Despite early adversities, they had good relations with their current carers. Adolescent girls seem especially vulnerable to low QoL and might need extra support to have good lives in foster care.
PURPOSE: Few studies have investigated possible predictors of positive outcomes for youths in foster care. The aim of this prospective follow-up study was to examine quality of life (QoL) among youths in foster care and to assess whether contextual and child factors predicted QoL. METHODS: Online questionnaires were completed by carers in Norway in 2012 (T1, n = 236, child age 6-12 years) and by youths and carers in 2017 (T2, n = 405, youth age 11-18 years). We received responses on 116 of the youths at both T1 and T2, and our final sample consisted of 525 youths with responses from T1 and/or T2. Child welfare caseworkers reported preplacement maltreatment and service use at T1. We assessed mental health and prosocial behavior at T1 by having carers complete the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and QoL at T2 with youth-reported KIDSCREEN-27. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, t-tests and multiple linear regressions, and we used multiple imputation to handle missing data. RESULTS: Youths in foster care had lower QoL across all dimensions compared to a Swedish general youth sample. QoL scores among our sample were similar to Norwegian youths with ill or substance abusing parents and to European norm data. Youths reported the highest QoL scores on the parent relations and autonomy dimension. Male gender, younger age, kinship care and prosocial behavior five years earlier predicted higher QoL. CONCLUSION: Similar to other at-risk youths, youths in foster care seem to have lower QoL than the general Scandinavian population. Despite early adversities, they had good relations with their current carers. Adolescent girls seem especially vulnerable to low QoL and might need extra support to have good lives in foster care.
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