Young People with Learning Disabilities Living in State Care: Their Emotional, Behavioural and Mental Health Status

Drug use in adolescents with mild intellectual disability in different living arrangements

“…A similar pattern was found in adults in an Australian study by Tracy and Hosken (1997). Comparing adolescents with and without ID, Chapman and Wu (2012) and Taggart et al (2007) found no differences in the prevalence of smoking, whereas Emerson et al (2011) found a significantly higher prevalence of smoking in boys with ID but failed to find any difference between girls with ID and the control sample.…”

“…However, Emerson and Turnbull (2005) reported a lower level of using alcohol at least once a month in adolescents with ID and no differences on lifetime alcohol use between adolescents with and without ID. In the studies by Chapman and Wu (2012), Fakier and Wild (2011) and Taggart et al (2007), no significant differences were found between participants with and without ID regarding the alcohol use.…”

“…Among the students with ID receiving special education school services in the US, Gress and Boss (1996) found the prevalence of current smoking to be 4.9-26.9% depending on the school grade (not containing data on the age of students). British studies reported the following findings: 15% of adolescents with ID had smoked more than once and 14% smoked currently (Emerson & Turnbull, 2005); 30% of children and adolescents with ID living in state care had smoked (Taggart, Cousins, & Milner, 2007); 30.1% of adolescents with ID and behavioural/emotional problems and none of the students with ID and without behavioural/emotional problems had ever smoked (Taggart, Taylor, & McCrum-Gardner, 2010); 16% of boys and 17% of girls with ID reported at age 13-14 years that they had ever smoked, and 27% of boys and 21% of girls with ID reported at age 14-15 years that they had smoked in the last year (Emerson, Baines, Allerton, & Welch, 2011). The findings of a Taiwanese study by Yen and Lin (2010) indicated that 3.4% of adolescents with ID had experienced smoking and 1.4% had smoked regularly.…”

“…Pack, Wallander, and Browne (1998) reported that the lifetime prevalence of alcohol use was 48%, and the prevalence of alcohol use during the past month was 39% among adolescents with ID attending special education classes in the US. The previously mentioned studies reported results as follows: the prevalence of past-year alcohol use ranged from 22.7% to 54.5% and the prevalence of past-month alcohol use ranged from 8.8% to 35.5% (Gress & Boss, 1996); 41% of adolescents with ID had consumed alcohol at some time (Emerson & Turnbull, 2005); 0.6% of adolescents with ID were regular alcohol drinkers (Yen & Lin, 2010); 71.7% of adolescents with ID reported ever having used alcohol (Fakier & Wild, 2011); approximately 20% of children and adolescents with ID living in residential/foster care had used alcohol (Taggart et al, 2007); the prevalence of alcohol use was 29.5% in adolescents with ID and behavioural/emotional problems and 4% in adolescents with ID who were identified as not having behavioural/emotional problems (Taggart et al, 2010).…”

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

“…Studies have also found that social support (including the quality of relationships with biological parents) impacts upon the mental health of young people in care (Hukkanen et al, 1999;Salazar, Keller, & Courtney, 2011). Additionally, other socio-demographic factors associated with mental health issues in young people in out-ofhome care include parental mental illness (Fechter-Leggett & O'Brien, 2010) and the presence of learning disabilities (Ford et al, 2007;Hukkanen et al, 1999;Taggart, Cousins, & Milner, 2007). Finally, both gender and age appear to be related to the prevalence and type of mental health conditions experienced (Ford et al, 2007;Hukkanen et al, 1999;McMillen et al, 2005); for example, research from the UK (Ford et al, 2007) identified that older children in care were more likely to have anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and conduct disorder, while younger children were more likely to have oppositional defiant disorder, hyperkinetic disorder and separation anxiety disorder.…”