Collateral Harm or Help? The Effect of Foster Care on Mothers

• In Event: The Impact of Child Welfare System Involvement on Parents

Abstract

In this study, we exploit quasi-random assignment of families to investigators to estimate the causal impact of foster care removal on mothers. Using a two-stage least squares approach, estimates indicate that mothers with children placed in foster care experience a 14.6 to 34.6 percentage point increase in opioid or substance use disorder diagnosis, respectively, and a 24.7 percentage point increase in treatment for such disorders. Estimates are concentrated among Black NH mothers, the only subpopulation for whom we detect a significant increase in overdose risk, upwards of 11 percentage points. We find a similar pattern in substance use disorder treatments and prescriptions for chronic health conditions, implying that effects are driven by an increase in rehabilitative services.

Authors

• Jessica Erin Pac, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Presenting Author

• Lawrence M. Berger, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Maria Cancian, Georgetown University McCourt School
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Christine Piette Durrance, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Runshi Tang, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Jenna Nobles, University of California, Berkeley
  Non-Presenting Co-Author