Evicted children and subsequent placement in out-of-home care: A cohort study

Abstract

BackgroundEvictions may have serious consequences for individuals’ health and wellbeing. Even though an eviction may be experienced as a significant crisis for the family, there is little previous knowledge on consequences for evicted children. This study represents the first attempt to examine to what extent children from evicted households were separated from their parents and placed in out-of-home care (foster family or residential care) using population-based data, net of observed confounding factors related to the socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances of their parents.MethodsThis study takes advantage of information from a Swedish national database, consisting of about 8 000 evicted individuals and a random sample of 770 000 individuals from the national population, linked to individual-level, longitudinal data from Swedish national registers. Our analytical sample consists of information for more than 250 000 children born in 1995–2008, including 2 224 children from evicted households. We used binary logistic regression based on the Karlson/Holm/Breen method to account for observed imbalances at baseline between evicted and non-evicted children.ResultsCompared to non-evicted children, the crude odds ratio for placement in out-of-home care in evicted children was 12.10 (95% CI 8.54–17.14). Net of observed confounding factors related to the socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances of the parents, evicted children had a twofold elevated risk of being placed in out-of-home care (odds ratio 2.26, 95% CI 1.55–3.27). Crude OR for evicted children in comparison with children under threat of eviction (eviction not formally executed) was 1.71 (95% CI 1.17–2.49) and adjusted OR 1.58 (95% CI 1.06–2.35).ConclusionChildren who experience eviction constitute a disadvantaged group and are at significant risk of being separated from their parents and placed in out-of-home care. These results demonstrate the importance of providing support for these children and their parents. Strategies to prevent households with children from being evicted seem to be an important and viable intervention path.

Eviction as a social determinant of pregnancy health: County‐level eviction rates and adverse birth outcomes in the United States

“…One relatively small study in Michigan during the 2008 recession found that eviction was associated with anxiety attacks; however, health effects were generally not found when controlled for income and prior health (Burgard et al, 2012). Children of evicted families are substantially more likely to be taken into care or removed from their parents (Berg & Brannstrom, 2018).…”

Financial Fraud, Mental Health, and Quality of Life: A Study on the Population of the City of Madrid, Spain

“…According to a systematic review of 47 studies, individuals affected by foreclosure reported a higher frequency of depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and suicide compared with the general population or people who did not have these experiences. Foreclosure has an impact on the health and well-being of all members of the family, particularly children [38]. Examining possible pathways between home foreclosure and mental health, Vasquez-Vera [22] proposed that housing insecurity acts as a stressor that increases the incidence of major depression and generalized anxiety disorder, as demonstrated in the United States [39].…”

Antecedents to Child Placement in Residential Care: A Systematic Review

“…This vein of research is lacking in unity and clarity regarding which terms to use to describe similar concepts. For example, RCCs were termed 'institutional care' (Baptista et al, 2019), 'residential care' (Lukšík, 2018), 'orphanage' (Adejuwon & Oki, 2011), 'out-of-home care' (Berg & Brännström, 2018) and 'children's home' (Abd Rahman et al, 2013). Some individuals may consider these terms to indicate the same care setting, while others may consider them distinct.…”