TY - JOUR
T1 - Latent classes of older foster youth
T2 - Prospective associations with outcomes and exits from the foster care system during the transition to adulthood
AU - Miller, Elizabeth A.
AU - Paschall, Katherine W.
AU - Azar, Sandra T.
N1 - Funding Information:
The data used in this publication were made available by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and have been used with permission. Data from Mental Health Service Use of Youth Leaving Foster Care (Voyages) 2001–2003 were originally collected by Curtis McMillen, Lionel D. Scott, and Wendy Fran Auslander. Funding for the project was provided by NIMH 1R01MH61404 . The collector of the original data, the funder, NDACAN, Cornell University, and their agents or employees bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being to the first and second authors. Parts of this work were presented at the 2016 annual convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017
PY - 2017/8
Y1 - 2017/8
N2 - Youth in the foster care system face considerable challenges during the transition to adulthood. However, there is significant variability within this population. This study uses person-oriented methods and a longitudinal dataset of youth aging out of foster care to examine differences in how subgroups of foster youth fare during the transition to adulthood. We identified four distinct latent classes, consistent with prior person-oriented studies of this population, and validated these classes by examining differences on additional relevant factors at age 17. After establishing these classes, we tested their predictive validity by examining differences in outcomes at age 19 in domains relevant to the transition to adulthood, including education and employment, problem behaviors, and mental health problems. Finally, given the importance of extended foster care in promoting better outcomes, we used survival analysis to prospectively examine whether class membership was associated with differences in the rates at which youth left foster care between ages 17 and 19. One large group of youth exhibited moderate behavior problems and left care quickly, while another large group of resilient youth had favorable outcomes and left care relatively slowly. A small group exhibited considerable behavior and mental health problems, but left care more slowly, and a very small group was characterized by a history of pregnancy. Findings suggest considerable variability in service need among older foster youth. Implications for service provision during the transition to adulthood are discussed.
AB - Youth in the foster care system face considerable challenges during the transition to adulthood. However, there is significant variability within this population. This study uses person-oriented methods and a longitudinal dataset of youth aging out of foster care to examine differences in how subgroups of foster youth fare during the transition to adulthood. We identified four distinct latent classes, consistent with prior person-oriented studies of this population, and validated these classes by examining differences on additional relevant factors at age 17. After establishing these classes, we tested their predictive validity by examining differences in outcomes at age 19 in domains relevant to the transition to adulthood, including education and employment, problem behaviors, and mental health problems. Finally, given the importance of extended foster care in promoting better outcomes, we used survival analysis to prospectively examine whether class membership was associated with differences in the rates at which youth left foster care between ages 17 and 19. One large group of youth exhibited moderate behavior problems and left care quickly, while another large group of resilient youth had favorable outcomes and left care relatively slowly. A small group exhibited considerable behavior and mental health problems, but left care more slowly, and a very small group was characterized by a history of pregnancy. Findings suggest considerable variability in service need among older foster youth. Implications for service provision during the transition to adulthood are discussed.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.06.047
DO - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.06.047
M3 - Article
C2 - 29225388
AN - SCOPUS:85030469496
SN - 0190-7409
VL - 79
SP - 495
EP - 505
JO - Children and Youth Services Review
JF - Children and Youth Services Review
ER -
