Mental disorder diagnoses and symptoms and functional impairment in school-age children in the care of child protective services

Background: About 50 % of children in the care of child protective services present at least one mental disorder, but few studies have looked at whether there are differences in mental disorders or symptoms between children placed in out-of-home care (foster care and residential care) and their community peers.

Objective: This study documents the mental disorder diagnoses and symptoms among children in out-of-home care and their associations with children functional impairment. It also compares out-of-home care children with those from the community.

Participants and setting: The sample was composed of children aged 5 to 12 years in foster care (n = 154), in residential care (n = 111), and from the community (n = 92).

Methods: Caregivers reported the children's diagnoses and completed questionnaires on the children's symptoms.

Results: 1) Proportionally more children in out-of-home care presented a mental disorder than did children from the community. Proportions were similar for those in foster care and those in residential care; 2) Children in out-of-home care presented more symptoms than those from the community for all the mental disorders considered and the children in residential care presented more symptoms than did those in foster care for about half of the disorders considered; 3) symptoms were strongly associated with functional impairment; and 4) the symptoms of RAD, ADHD, OCD, CD, and ODD proved significant predictors of functional impairment.

Conclusions: This study provides a picture of the mental disorders and symptoms among samples of school-age children in the care of child protective services and raises questions about the proportions of some of the diagnosis that children receive.