Trauma exposure and PTSD among older adolescents in foster care

Abstract

Purpose Youth in foster care represent a highly traumatized population. However, trauma research on this population has focused primarily on maltreatment rather than the full spectrum of trauma experiences identified within the DSM-IV. The current study aims to fill this gap by reporting the prevalence of exposure to specific types of traumatic events for a large sample of youth with foster care experience. The study also reports the likelihood of lifetime PTSD diagnoses associated with each specific type of trauma. Method Data are from a longitudinal panel study of 732 adolescents aged 17 and 18 who were in foster care. Lifetime trauma exposure and PTSD diagnosis were assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Statistical comparisons were made using logistic regressions. Results The majority of respondents had experienced at least one trauma in their lifetime. While overall trauma prevalence did not differ by gender, males were more likely to experience Interpersonal Violence and Environmental Trauma, while females were more likely to experience Sexual Trauma. Caucasian participants reported higher rates of trauma exposure than African-American participants. The types of trauma associated with the highest probability of a lifetime PTSD diagnosis were rape, being tortured or a victim of terrorists, and molestation. Conclusions Youth in foster care are a highly traumatized population and meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD at higher rates than general youth populations. The ongoing impact of trauma may be particularly problematic for these young people given their abrupt transition to independence.

Young People in, and Transitioning from, Out-of-home Care and their Mental Health Issues: A Call for Evidence

“…Studies concerning the mental health of care leavers indicate that prevalence rates of mental health issues within this group continue to be greater than those in the general population, and that comorbidity in mental health conditions remains a feature (Courtney & Dworsky, 2006;Pecora et al, 2009). Large-scale US studies have found high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder among care leavers, which are comparable to, or exceed, the rates found among war veterans (Pecora et al, 2009;Salazar, Keller, Gowen, & Courtney, 2013). Unfortunately, there is a dearth of research employing standardised instruments to examine the mental health of representative samples of Australian care leavers.…”

Childhood Abuse and Aggression in Adolescent Girls Involved in Child Welfare: The Role of Depression and Posttraumatic Stress

“…For example, 6 to 7 % of the general population of youth is estimated to meet the criteria for PTSD of re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance of reminders of the traumatic event, and increased arousal (Merikangas et al 2010) in comparison to 15 to 16 % of youth in foster care, and 22 % among females (McMillen et al 2005; Salazar et al 2013). In addition to PTSD, childhood abuse increases the risk of depression in childhood and in adulthood (Brown et al 1999; Gibb et al 2007).…”

Adverse childhood experiences among youth aging out of foster care: A latent class analysis

“…Although emancipating foster youth approach the onset of adulthood with high rates of exposure to traumatic events and stressors (Courtney et al 2001; Salazar, Keller, Gowen, & Courtney, 2013), little is known about the compositional variations of maltreatment and related adversity profiles, or implications of variations for youths’ later health and functioning. Stress paradigms have been productive in linking cumulative adversity approaches to health and development outcomes in general populations, and hold promise for application to high-risk youth populations (Foster & Brooks-Gunn, 2009).…”