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The Development of Young Peoples' Internalising and Externalising Difficulties Over the First Three-Years in the

Rachel M Hiller1,2,3, Abigail Fraser4, Megan Denne3

  • 1Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, UK.

Child Maltreatment
|January 27, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Young people in social welfare care often have mental health difficulties. Entering care alone does not guarantee recovery, and multiple placements or sibling separation worsen these issues.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychology
  • Mental Health Services Research
  • Social Welfare Studies

Background:

  • High rates of mental health difficulties are prevalent in young people within the out-of-home care system.
  • Limited longitudinal data exists on the developmental trajectory of these mental health issues from the point of entry into care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the longitudinal development of internalizing and externalizing difficulties in young people during their initial three years in the UK care system.
  • To identify factors associated with mental health trajectories in children in out-of-home care.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized routinely collected carer-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire data.
  • Analyzed data from 672 young people (aged 2-16 years) over their first three years in the UK care system.
  • Examined internalizing (emotional, peer) and externalizing (conduct, hyperactivity) difficulties.

Main Results:

  • Stable mental health profiles (resilient or chronic difficulties) were most common.
  • Changing profiles, including recovery or delayed onset of difficulties, were less frequent.
  • Entry into the care system alone did not lead to natural recovery for most children.
  • Increased number of placements and separation from siblings were linked to higher levels of mental health difficulties.

Conclusions:

  • The UK care system requires enhanced interventions beyond initial placement to facilitate mental health recovery in young people.
  • Child welfare and mental health systems must address placement stability and sibling connections to better support vulnerable youth.
  • Longitudinal monitoring is crucial for understanding and addressing the complex mental health needs of children in out-of-home care.

Keywords:
child maltreatmentchild welfareexternalisingfoster careinternalisinglongitudinalout-of-home care

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