Importance of Stability of Early Living Arrangements on Behavior Outcomes of Children With and Without Prenatal Drug Exposure

Henrietta S. Bada · John Langer · Jean E. Twomey · Charlotte Bursi · Linda L. LaGasse · Charles R. Bauer +4 more

52 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics

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Child Welfare and Adoption Homelessness and Social Issues Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated whether living arrangements of children with or without prenatal drug exposure would be associated with their behavior outcomes and adaptive functioning. METHODS: A total of 1388 children with or without prenatal cocaine or opiate exposure were enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study at 1 month of age, were seen at intervals, tracked over time for their living situation, and evaluated for behavior problems and adaptive functioning at 3 years of age. The Child Behavior Checklist and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales were administered. Using multiple regression models, we determined the factors that would predict behavior problems and adaptive functioning. RESULTS: Of the children enrolled, 1092 children were evaluated. Total and externalizing behavior problems T scores of children in relative care were lower (better) than those in parental care; externalizing behavior scores were lower than those in nonrelative care (p < .05). Total behavior problem scores increased 2.3 and 1.3 points, respectively, with each move per year and each year of Child Protective Services involvement. Compared to children in nonrelative care, those in parental or relative care had higher (better) scores in the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales total composite (p < .023), communication (p < .045), and daily living (p < .001). Each caretaker change was associated with a decrease of 2.65 and 2.19 points, respectively, in communication and daily living scores. CONCLUSION: Children's living arrangements were significantly associated with childhood behavior problems and adaptive functioning. The instability of living situation was also a significant predictor of these outcomes. While family preservation continues to be the goal of the child welfare system, expediting decision toward permanency remains paramount once children are placed in foster care.

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References

1991Manual for The Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 and 1991 Profile 2000Children and youth in foster care: disentangling the relationship between problem behaviors and number of placements 2000Attachment from Infancy to Early Adulthood in a High-Risk Sample: Continuity, Discontinuity, and Their Correlates 2007Family Structure And Children’s Physical And Mental Health 2000Families With Young Children: A Review of Research in the 1990s 2004Placement Stability and Mental Health Costs for Children in Foster Care 1999Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales 2001Children Who Return Home From Foster Care: A 6-Year Prospective Study of Behavioral Health Outcomes in Adolescence

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2021School's out: Parenting stress and screen time use in school-age children during the COVID-19 pandemic 2021Prenatal Substance Exposure and Child Maltreatment: A Systematic Review 2013Cognitive Development and Social-Emotional Functioning in Young Foster Children: A Follow-up Study from 2 to 3 Years of Age 2011Hope for the Future: Identifying the Individual Difference Characteristics of People Who Are Interested In and Intend To Foster-Care

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