Association of Foster Care and its Duration with Clinical Symptoms and Impairment: Foster Care versus Non-Foster Care Comparisons with Spanish Children

Abstract

Objective The objective was to determine if Spanish foster care children and Spanish non-foster children differ on sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), ADHD-inattention (IN), ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), limited prosocial emotions (LPE), anxiety, depression, social and academic impairment measures and if the duration of foster care predicts a reduction in symptom and impairment differences between foster and non-foster care children. Method Foster care parents of 49 children (8 to 13 years, 57% girls) and non-foster care mothers and fathers of 1776 children (8 to 13 years, 49% girls) completed the Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory (CABI). Results Foster care children had significantly higher scores on all symptom and impairment measures than non-foster care mother and father groups (d values from 0.37 to 1.53). A longer duration in foster care (range 8 to 86 months) was also associated with significant lower scores on SCT, ADHD-IN, anxiety, depression, and academic impairment. In addition, while foster care children with a shorter duration in foster care (less than medium months) had significantly higher scores than the non-foster care groups on all measures (d values from 0.66 to 2.25), children with a longer duration in foster care did not differ from the non-foster care groups on anxiety, depression, ADHD-IN, ADHD-HI, LPE, social and academic impairment. Conclusions Although foster care children had elevated psychopathology and impairment scores relative to non-foster care children, a longer stay in foster care was associated with the elimination of the difference on most symptom and impairment measures.

Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory Scale Scores With Well-Established Psychopathology and Academic Achievement Measures in Adolescents With ADHD

“…Two studies (Burns, Preszler, et al, 2020; Burns, Servera, et al, 2021), however, also demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity of child mental disorder diagnoses with CABI scale scores (e.g., a parent self-report of a child’s depression diagnosis had a d value of 1.72 with CABI depression scale scores with d values for other CABI scale scores with the depression diagnosis ranging from .35 [callous-unemotional] to 1.37 [friendship difficulties]). Two other studies demonstrated significant d value differences across community and clinical samples for CABI scale scores (Başay et al, 2021; Navarro-Soria et al, 2020). 2 Finally, latent state-trait models with two raters in the home and two raters in the school showed ADHD-IN, ADHD-HI, ODD, SCT (eight item scale), CU, and academic impairment scale scores to be more trait than state-like across a 12-month interval.…”

“…35 [callous-unemotional] to 1.37 [friendship difficulties]). Two other studies demonstrated significant d value differences across community and clinical samples for CABI scale scores (Başay et al, 2021;Navarro-Soria et al, 2020). 2 Finally, latent state-trait models with two raters in the home and two raters in the school showed ADHD-IN, ADHD-HI, ODD, SCT (eight item scale), CU, and academic impairment scale scores to be more trait than state-like across a 12-month interval.…”

“…Recent studies support the reliability (internal consistency, test-retest, interrater), invariance (like-item loadings and thresholds across a one-month interval and sex of rater), and validity of CABI scale scores (Başay et al, 2021;Burns, Geiser, et al, 2020;Burns, Preszler, et al, 2020;Burns, Servera, et al, 2021;Jung et al, 2020;Navarro-Soria et al, 2020;Sáez et al, 2019;Servera et al, 2018). For example, with a nationally representative sample of kindergarten to sixth grade United States children (Burns, Preszler, et al, 2020), the reliability coefficients (omega) for the CABI scale scores ranged from .89 (callous-unemotional) to .97 (ADHD-IN) with identical values for boys and girls.…”

Latent classes of childhood maltreatment in children and adolescents in foster care: associations with ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD

“…Therefore, frequent changes in foster care placement can be a risk factor for healthy development (Lewis, Dozier, Ackerman, & Sepulveda-Kozakowski, 2007;Newton, Litrownik, & Landsverk, 2000;Rubin, O'Reilly, Luan, & Localio, 2007). Furthermore, the duration of foster care stay was also associated with physical and mental wellbeing in prior studies (Fallesen, 2013;Frenkel et al, 2020;Navarro-Soria, Servera, & Burns, 2020).…”

ADHD Symptomatology, Executive Function and Cognitive Performance Differences between Family Foster Care and Control Group in ADHD-Diagnosed Children

“…However, several studies on children in foster care have not identified significant relations between EF and age at first placement [ 26 ], nor length of stay in residential care [ 20 ]. Only an older age at admission into the residential center was related to better performance in inhibition tasks [ 35 ], and an earlier age at placement in the adoptive family was related to fewer reported EF difficulties [ 36 , 37 ]. These contradictory results indicate the need to increase knowledge about children in foster care to explain the relationship between placement variables and later psychological development.…”