IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v32y2010i10p1338-1345.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of continued contact with biological parents upon the mental health of children in foster care

Author

Listed:
  • McWey, Lenore M.
  • Acock, Alan
  • Porter, Breanne E.

Abstract

This study examined depression and externalizing problems of children in foster care using a subsample of data (n = 362) from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Our findings indicated that more frequent contact with the biological mother was marginally associated with lower levels depression and significantly associated with lower externalizing problem behaviors. The association with externalizing problem behavior was significant even after controlling for gender and exposure to violence. Further, differences with regard to gender were revealed. Specifically, girls had higher depression scores than boys even after controlling for exposure to violence. Results suggest that supporting frequent, consistent, visitation may impact the levels of depression and externalizing programs children in foster care exhibit.

Suggested Citation

  • McWey, Lenore M. & Acock, Alan & Porter, Breanne E., 2010. "The impact of continued contact with biological parents upon the mental health of children in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1338-1345, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:32:y:2010:i:10:p:1338-1345
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190-7409(10)00147-7
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jonson-Reid, Melissa & Barth, Richard P., 2000. "From placement to prison: The path to adolescent incarceration from child welfare supervised foster or group care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(7), pages 493-516, July.
    2. Simsek, Zeynep & Erol, Nese & Oztop, Didem & Munir, Kerim, 2007. "Prevalence and predictors of emotional and behavioral problems reported by teachers among institutionally reared children and adolescents in Turkish orphanages compared with community controls," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(7), pages 883-899, July.
    3. Davis, Inger P. & Landsverk, John & Newton, Rae & Ganger, William, 1996. "Parental visiting and foster care reunification," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(4-5), pages 363-382.
    4. Mennen, Ferol E. & Trickett, Penelope K., 2007. "Mental health needs of urban children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(9), pages 1220-1234, September.
    5. Heflinger, Craig Anne & Simpkins, Celeste G. & Combs-Orme, Terri, 2000. "Using the CBCL to determine the clinical status of children in state custody," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 55-73, January.
    6. Mennen, Ferol E. & O'Keefe, Maura, 2005. "Informed decisions in child welfare: The use of attachment theory," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 577-593, June.
    7. Rosenthal, James A. & Curiel, Herman F., 2006. "Modeling behavioral problems of children in the child welfare system: Caregiver, youth, and teacher perceptions," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(11), pages 1391-1408, November.
    8. Tarren-Sweeney, Michael, 2008. "Retrospective and concurrent predictors of the mental health of children in care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 1-25, January.
    9. Shin, Sunny Hyucksun, 2005. "Need for and actual use of mental health service by adolescents in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(10), pages 1071-1083, October.
    10. Ryan, Joseph P. & Testa, Mark F., 2005. "Child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency: Investigating the role of placement and placement instability," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 227-249, March.
    11. Ryan, Joseph P. & Herz, Denise & Hernandez, Pedro M. & Marshall, Jane Marie, 2007. "Maltreatment and delinquency: Investigating child welfare bias in juvenile justice processing," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(8), pages 1035-1050, August.
    12. Erich, Stephen & Kanenberg, Heather & Case, Kim & Allen, Theresa & Bogdanos, Takis, 2009. "An empirical analysis of factors affecting adolescent attachment in adoptive families with homosexual and straight parents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 398-404, March.
    13. Turner, Heather A. & Finkelhor, David & Ormrod, Richard, 2006. "The effect of lifetime victimization on the mental health of children and adolescents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 13-27, January.
    14. Hess, Peg McCartt, 1987. "Parental visiting of children in foster care: Current knowledge and research agenda," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 29-50.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Farineau, Heather M. & McWey, Lenore M., 2011. "The relationship between extracurricular activities and delinquency of adolescents in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 963-968, June.
    2. Sheridan, Kathryn & Haight, Wendy L. & Cleeland, Leah, 2011. "The role of grandparents in preventing aggressive and other externalizing behavior problems in children from rural, methamphetamine-involved families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1583-1591, September.
    3. Haight, Wendy & Marshall, Jane & Hans, Sydney & Black, James & Sheridan, Kathryn, 2010. ""They mess with me, I mess with them": Understanding physical aggression in rural girls and boys from methamphetamine-involved families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1223-1234, October.
    4. Spielfogel, Jill E. & Leathers, Sonya J. & Christian, Errick & McMeel, Lorri S., 2011. "Parent management training, relationships with agency staff, and child mental health: Urban foster parents' perspectives," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 2366-2374.
    5. Bernedo, Isabel M. & Salas, María D. & Fuentes, María J. & García-Martín, Miguel Ángel, 2014. "Foster children's behavior problems and impulsivity in the family and school context," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 43-49.
    6. Tam, Christina C. & Abrams, Laura S. & Freisthler, Bridget & Ryan, Joseph P., 2016. "Juvenile justice sentencing: Do gender and child welfare involvement matter?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 60-65.
    7. Cutuli, J.J. & Goerge, Robert M. & Coulton, Claudia & Schretzman, Maryanne & Crampton, David & Charvat, Benjamin J. & Lalich, Nina & Raithel, JessicaA. & Gacitua, Cristobal & Lee, Eun Lye, 2016. "From foster care to juvenile justice: Exploring characteristics of youth in three cities," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 84-94.
    8. Malvaso, Catia G & Delfabbro, Paul H & Day, Andrew, 2017. "Child maltreatment and criminal convictions in youth: The role of gender, ethnicity and placement experiences in an Australian population," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 57-65.
    9. Bernedo, Isabel M. & Salas, María D. & García-Martín, Miguel A. & Fuentes, María J., 2012. "Teacher assessment of behavior problems in foster care children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 615-621.
    10. Malvaso, Catia G. & Delfabbro, Paul H. & Day, Andrew & Nobes, Gavin, 2018. "The maltreatment-violence link: Exploring the role of maltreatment experiences and other individual and social risk factors among young people who offend," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 35-45.
    11. Summersett, Faith C. & Jordan, Neil & Griffin, Gene & Kisiel, Cassandra & Goldenthal, Hayley & Martinovich, Zoran, 2019. "An examination of youth protective factors and caregiver parenting skills at entry into the child welfare system and their association with justice system involvement," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 23-35.
    12. Barboza, Gia Elise & Dominguez, Silvia, 2017. "Longitudinal growth of post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms following a child maltreatment allegation: An examination of violence exposure, family risk and placement type," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 368-378.
    13. Ryan, Joseph P. & Marshall, Jane Marie & Herz, Denise & Hernandez, Pedro M., 2008. "Juvenile delinquency in child welfare: Investigating group home effects," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(9), pages 1088-1099, September.
    14. Novak, Abigail & Benedini, Kristen, 2020. "Sibling separation and self-reported offending: An examination of the association between sibling placement and offending behavior," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    15. Chiu, Yu-Ling & Ryan, Joseph P. & Herz, Denise C., 2011. "Allegations of maltreatment and delinquency: Does risk of juvenile arrest vary substantiation status?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 855-860, June.
    16. Vanschoonlandt, Femke & Vanderfaeillie, Johan & Van Holen, Frank & De Maeyer, Skrällan & Robberechts, Marijke, 2013. "Externalizing problems in young foster children: Prevalence rates, predictors and service use," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 716-724.
    17. Boatswain-Kyte, Alicia & Hélie, Sonia & Royer, Marie-Noele, 2024. "A critical examination of youth service trajectories: Black children’s transition from child welfare to youth justice," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    18. Lee, JoAnn S. & Courtney, Mark E. & Tajima, Emiko, 2014. "Extended foster care support during the transition to adulthood: Effect on the risk of arrest," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 34-42.
    19. Marshall, Jane Marie & Haight, Wendy L., 2014. "Understanding racial disproportionality affecting African American Youth who cross over from the child welfare to the juvenile justice system: Communication, power, race and social class," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 82-90.
    20. Ryan, Joseph P. & Hong, Jun Sung & Herz, Denise & Hernandez, Pedro M., 2010. "Kinship foster care and the risk of juvenile delinquency," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(12), pages 1823-1830, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:32:y:2010:i:10:p:1338-1345. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.