Behaviorally impaired children in out-of-home care

This study was undertaken to determine the nature of the out-of-home care placement experience for 131 behaviorally impaired children entering care over the course of a year in Nebraska. Variables analyzed included behavioral impairment, age at entry, age at termination, gender, race/ethnicity, family violence, geographical area before and at termination, closeness to home of most recent placement, and length of time in care. Multiple regression analysis showed that behavioral impairment was the strongest predictor of length of time in care, accounting for 2.4% of the variability.