Cognitive Development and Social-Emotional Functioning in Young Foster Children: A Follow-up Study from 2 to 3 Years of Age

Jacobsen, Heidi; Moe, Vibeke; Ivarsson, Tord; Wentzel‐Larsen, Tore; Smith, Lars

doi:10.1007/s10578-013-0360-3

Cited by 38 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…However, the adoptive and foster parents in the present study were stable and permanent, were specially selected and trained to care for at-risk children and had a relatively higher socioeconomic status than what is common in Norway [ 34 , 78 ]. A study of foster parents in Norway also found that although foster children may have more cognitive deficits than those in a comparison group, there were no significant differences in their attachment style or in the foster parents’ ability to care for the children [ 79 , 80 ]. Thus, there are indications that most of the children who were placed with foster and adoptive parents were raised in normal, stable, caring family environments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavior and Attention Problems in Eight-Year-Old Children with Prenatal Opiate and Poly-Substance Exposure: A Longitudinal Study

et al. 2016

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Multiple studies have found that children born to mothers with opioid or poly-substance use during pregnancy have more behavior and attention problems and lower cognitive functioning than non-exposed children. The present study aimed to investigate whether behavior and attention problems are more prominent than general cognitive deficits in this risk group and whether the problems wane or increase over time. This prospective longitudinal cross-informant study compared 72 children who were prenatally exposed to heroin and multiple drugs with a group of 58 children without known prenatal risk factors. Group differences in caregivers’ and teachers’ reports of the children’s behavior and attention problems based on the Child Behavior Check List and the ADHD Rating Scale were compared based on group differences in general cognitive functioning at 4 ½ and 8 ½ years of age. Both parent and teacher reports suggest that the exposed group has significantly more problems in several behavioral areas than the comparison group, particularly with regard to attention problems. The preschool teachers had already reported these problems when the children were 4 ½ years old, whereas the caregivers reported these problems mainly when the children were 8 ½ years old. The group differences in behavioral and attentional problems were not significantly greater and some were even significantly smaller than the group differences in general cognitive abilities. These findings suggest that children subject to prenatally drug exposure have increasing problems in multiple areas related to behavior from preschool age to 8 ½ years but that these problems do not seem to be specific; i.e., they are not more severe than the problems with general cognitive abilities found for this group.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavior and Attention Problems in Eight-Year-Old Children with Prenatal Opiate and Poly-Substance Exposure: A Longitudinal Study

et al. 2016

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“…The child–parent dyads in the present study were part of a larger follow‐up study comprising a group of foster children and a group of comparison children. More details about sample characteristics were published earlier (Jacobsen, Moe, Ivarsson, Wentzel‐Larsen, & Smith, ). This study was approved by the National Committees for Research Ethics and the Norwegian Social Science Data Services.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foster Parents’ State of Mind With Respect to Attachment: Concordance With Their Foster Children's Attachment Patterns at 2 and 3 Years of Age

Jacobsen

Ivarsson

Wentzel‐Larsen

et al. 2014

Infant Ment. Health J.

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The present study investigated the possible differences between foster and comparison parents' state of mind with respect to attachment, and the concordance between caregiver state of mind and child attachment classifications among 60 foster children, all placed before the age of 2 years, as well as 42 comparison children. Caregiver state of mind was measured when the children were 2 years old (Time 1) while child attachment classifications were assessed at age 2 and again at age 3 years (Time 2). The associations between foster children's attachment, age at first and final placements, number of placements, and reasons for placement also were investigated. Descriptive analyses, including cross-tabulations, and independent sample t tests were used. The results showed that the majority of the foster parents had an autonomous state of mind, and no significant group difference between foster and comparison parents was identified. At both time points, most foster children who were classified as secure had autonomous foster parents, as also was the case for the comparison children. The present results are encouraging, suggesting that placing foster children with autonomous foster parents early in life may help them to remain secure over time. Furthermore, focusing on the recruitment of autonomous foster parents is important when working with young foster children.

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“…The fourth study measured 12-month changes in socio-emotional difficulties and competence among 56 Norwegian 2-year-olds in foster care (Jacobsen, Moe, Ivarsson, Wentzel-Larsen, & Smith, 2013), using the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA). While baseline mean social-emotional difficulties T scores were unexpectedly low for children in care, so too were T scores for a Norwegian comparison group, suggesting the T score distributions (based on U.S. norms) are not valid for Norwegian toddlers.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two of the studies measured changes in very young (i.e., 2- to 4-year-olds) children’s socio-emotional development over short periods. The first study measured small to moderate mean deterioration in internalizing ( d = .17) and externalizing ( d = .40) difficulties (but improved competence, d = .18) over 12 months among 2-year-olds in care (Jacobsen et al, 2013). The second measured a moderate mean improvement ( d = .45) over 18–24 months following entry into care (Stahmer et al, 2009).…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A narrative review of stability and change in the mental health of children who grow up in family-based out-of-home care

Tarren‐Sweeney

Goemans

2019

Developmental Child Welfare

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The present review sought to address the following questions: What evidence is there that long-term, family-based out-of-home care (OOHC) has a general, population-wide effect on children’s mental health such that it is generally reparative or generally harmful? Does entry into long-term OOHC affect children’s mental health, as evidenced by prospective changes over the first years in care? And, is the reparative potential of long-term, family-based OOHC moderated by children’s age at entry into care? Fourteen studies were identified for review. We found no consistent evidence that family-based OOHC exerts a general, population-wide effect on the mental health of children in care; or that entry into care has an initial effect on children’s mental health; or that children’s age at entry into care moderates their subsequent mental health trajectories. Instead, several longitudinal studies have found that sizable proportions of children in care manifest meaningful improvement in their mental health over both short- and long-term time frames and that similarly sizable proportions experience meaningful deterioration in their mental health. Rather than asking whether long-term, family-based care is generally reparative or harmful for the development of previously maltreated children, future investigations should instead focus on identifying the systemic and interpersonal characteristics of care that promote and sustain children’s psychological development throughout childhood—and those characteristics that are developmentally harmful (i.e., for which children is the experience of care beneficial, and for which children is it not?). The review concludes with recommendations for the design of improved cohort studies that can address these questions.

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Cognitive Development and Social-Emotional Functioning in Young Foster Children: A Follow-up Study from 2 to 3 Years of Age

Cited by 38 publications

References 47 publications

Behavior and Attention Problems in Eight-Year-Old Children with Prenatal Opiate and Poly-Substance Exposure: A Longitudinal Study

Behavior and Attention Problems in Eight-Year-Old Children with Prenatal Opiate and Poly-Substance Exposure: A Longitudinal Study

Foster Parents’ State of Mind With Respect to Attachment: Concordance With Their Foster Children's Attachment Patterns at 2 and 3 Years of Age

A narrative review of stability and change in the mental health of children who grow up in family-based out-of-home care

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