What happens to adolescents who are heavy mental health service users once they are no longer eligible for child service systems? The mental health service system changes considerably as youth move from adolescence to adulthood. There are fewer service options for adults, eligibility narrows, and affordability changes. These service system changes occur at a time of considerable stress as young people often change residences, jobs and learn to live more independently during this same time period. This is particularly true for youth leaving the foster care system. This study examines service use, mental disorder and functional early adult outcomes among older youth as they leave the foster care system. Youth in the foster care system are an ideal study population in which to study this transition because they tend to be extremely heavy mental health service users, and experience a particularly sudden and harsh transition out of foster care. This study examines 1) changes in service use among older teens as they leave the foster care system; 2) the correlates of service continuity and discontinuity as they leave the foster care system; 3) gateways to mental health service use for youth who have left the foster care system; and 4) the relationship between continued mental health service use and homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, high school graduation, college entrance, unplanned parenthood, psychiatric hospitalizations and traumatic events. Three hundred eighty youth in the foster care system in Missouri will be interviewed in person just prior to their 17th birthday, tracked with informed quarterly telephone interviews for two years and then re-interviewed in person two years subsequent to the first interview. The project will use the Diagnostic Interview Schedule to assess mental health and the Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents (SACA) to measure mental health service and psychotropic medication use. The study addresses several needs for mental health services research identified in the Bridging Science and Service report by characterizing the service use of an important population (young people who have left the child service system), by examining what happens to service users over time, and determining who is providing mental health services for a vulnerable population. This research should help public and private policymakers decide how to target their clinical resources, especially the federal dollars earmarked for preventing negative outcomes for youth leaving the foster care system.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH061404-04
Application #
6727633
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZMH1-SRV-C (01))
Program Officer
Ringeisen, Heather
Project Start
2001-04-09
Project End
2006-03-31
Budget Start
2004-04-01
Budget End
2006-03-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$492,318
Indirect Cost
Name
Washington University
Department
Type
Schools of Social Work
DUNS #
068552207
City
Saint Louis
State
MO
Country
United States
Zip Code
63130
Miller, Elizabeth A; Paschall, Katherine W; Azar, Sandra T (2017) Latent classes of older foster youth: Prospective associations with outcomes and exits from the foster care system during the transition to adulthood. Child Youth Serv Rev 79:495-505
Valdez, Christine E; Lim, Ban Hong Phylice; Parker, Christopher P (2015) Positive change following adversity and psychological adjustment over time in abused foster youth. Child Abuse Negl 48:80-91
Oshima, Karen M Matta; Narendorf, Sarah Carter; McMillen, J Curtis (2013) Pregnancy Risk Among Older Youth Transitioning Out Of Foster Care. Child Youth Serv Rev 35:1760-1765
Smith, Shannon Toney; Edens, John F; Vaughn, Michael G (2011) Assessing the external correlates of alternative factor models of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-short form across three samples. J Pers Assess 93:244-56
Munson, Michelle R; McMillen, Curtis (2010) Trajectories of Depression Symptoms among Older Youths Exiting Foster Care. Soc Work Res 34:235-249
Narendorf, Sarah Carter; McMillen, J Curtis (2010) Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders as Foster Youth Transition to Adulthood. Child Youth Serv Rev 32:113-119
McMillen, J Curtis; Raghavan, Ramesh (2009) Pediatric to adult mental health service use of young people leaving the foster care system. J Adolesc Health 44:7-13
Raghavan, Ramesh; Shi, Peichang; Aarons, Gregory A et al. (2009) Health insurance discontinuities among adolescents leaving foster care. J Adolesc Health 44:41-7
Raghavan, Ramesh; McMillen, J Curtis (2008) Use of multiple psychotropic medications among adolescents aging out of foster care. Psychiatr Serv 59:1052-5
Munson, Michelle R; McMillen, J Curtis (2008) Non-kin natural mentors in the lives of older youths in foster care. J Behav Health Serv Res 35:454-68

Showing the most recent 10 out of 16 publications