Aging Out of the Child Welfare System: Assessing the Impact of Group Home Placement on Economic Hardship, Substance Abuse, and Criminality

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

This research examines outcomes for youth who have aged out of the child welfare system. My thesis examines data on young adults who recently became independent and compares outcomes for youth who aged out of group home settings to outcomes for youth who aged out of alternative settings including foster homes and pre-adoptive homes. The data come from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Outcomes File, and the NYTD Services File. Previous research has shown that group home placement exacerbates deviant, antisocial behavior among youth in their care. Other studies show that aging out of the child welfare system yields negative life outcomes such as homelessness and financial dependence. However, research is limited on youth who age out of the group home setting in particular. This study aims to address the gap in the literature by examining economic hardship, substance abuse, and criminality for youth who aged out of the group home setting compared to youth who aged out of alternative settings. The results of this study show that aging out of a group home placement in particular is a significant predictor of negative outcomes in young adulthood.

Author

• Rose Domanico, University of North Carolina at Wilmington