Families' Public and Private Safety Nets and Child Mental Health Outcomes Among Families Involved with Child...

The mental health of children is a growing public health concern, and the prevalence and severity of mental health symptoms are significantly higher for children whose families are involved with child protective services (CPS). Among families in the general population, a strong family safety net can help guard against risks and promote child mental health; however, research on the safety nets of families involved with CPS is limited. Using the family stress model as a theoretical foundation, we conducted growth curve analyses to determine the extent to which different categories of family safety net support were associated with child mental health outcomes over time among a U.S. nationally representative sample of families involved with CPS (N = 5,489). Results indicate that different categories of public, private, and CPS supports were associated with both the initial levels and slopes of child mental health outcomes. Findings point to the dual importance of interventions to improve parents' private support networks and reaching eligible parents underserved by U.S. public assistance programs.