Changes in Mental Health of Children and Young People in Residential Careoutcomes and Associated Factors

  1. Carla González-García 1
  2. Elli Vassiliadis 2
  3. Juan M. Moreno-Manso 3
  4. Mavi Alcántara 4
  5. Jorge Fernández del Valle 5
  6. Amaia Bravo 5
  1. 1 Universidad de Cantabria
    info

    Universidad de Cantabria

    Santander, España

    ROR https://ror.org/046ffzj20

  2. 2 Universidad de Palermo (Italia)
  3. 3 Universidad de Extremadura
    info

    Universidad de Extremadura

    Badajoz, España

    ROR https://ror.org/0174shg90

  4. 4 Universidad de Murcia
    info

    Universidad de Murcia

    Murcia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/03p3aeb86

  5. 5 Universidad de Oviedo
    info

    Universidad de Oviedo

    Oviedo, España

    ROR https://ror.org/006gksa02

Revista:
Psychosocial Intervention

ISSN: 1132-0559

Any de publicació: 2023

Volum: 32

Número: 1

Pàgines: 11-19

Tipus: Article

DOI: 10.5093/PI2022A16 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAccés obert editor

Altres publicacions en: Psychosocial Intervention

Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible

Resum

Several studies have evidenced that children in out-of-home care (OOHC), including foster family care and residential care, reveal high levels of mental health disorders (ranging from 40% to 88%). This study examines the outcomes in mental health reported by key residential workers in a group of children and youth (N = 492) between 8-17 years old who were in residential child care (RCC) in Spain. The research also aims to explore the relationship between mental health outcomes and the provision of mental health services (i.e., receiving any mental health treatment) as well as the influence of child, family, and placement factors. The design of this study includes two measures: a baseline (T1) and a follow-up two years later (T2). The results indicated that 29.9% of young people enjoyed sustained mental health; 26% meaningful improvement in their mental health; 23.5% meaningful deterioration; and the remaining 20.5% showed no meaningful change. One of the main findings was that receiving mental health treatment had a significant impact on mental health outcomes. It is crucial to establish protocols and systematic detection tools to assess mental health and ensure detection and referral to proper treatment.

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