Publication year: 2011
Source: Children and Youth Services Review, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 23 June 2011
Mélanie, Guibord , Tessa, Bell , Elisa, Romano , Louise, Rouillard
Research on the mental health needs of maltreated youth in out-of-home care remains limited. The goal of the current study was to examine two common mental health concerns (i.e., depression, substance use) among 122 12–15year olds in out-of-home placements. Specifically, we investigated potential risk and protective factors among socio-demographic, maltreatment, youth, family, and community variables. We relied on data collected through the AAR-C2, a Canadian needs assessment and outcome monitoring tool. Approximately 4 in 10 (39.2%) youth endorsed at least one mental health problem, which we defined as the youth scoring at least one standard deviation above the sample mean…
Research highlights: ► We examine correlates of depression and substance use in a child welfare sample. ► Higher quality relationships among female caregivers and adolescents are protective. ► Involvement in extracurricular activities also contributes to resilience. ► Adolescent females are at higher risk of experiencing depression than males. ► Increasing age is associated with increased risk for substance use.