High prevalence of exposure to the child welfare system among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting: implications for policy and practice
High prevalence of exposure to the child welfare system among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting: implications for policy and practice
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DOI：
10.1186/1471-2458-14-197
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发表时间：
2014-02-24
影响因子：
4.5
通讯作者：
DeBeck, Kora
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Barker, Brittany;Kerr, Thomas;DeBeck, Kora
背景：街头青少年更有可能在童年经历创伤和不良事件；然而，人们对这一弱势群体接受儿童福利制度的情况知之甚少。本研究旨在调查加拿大温哥华街头青少年接受政府护理的比例和相关性。方法：从 2005 年 9 月至 2012 年 11 月，从“高危青少年研究”中收集数据，该研究是一项针对 14-26 岁使用非法药物的街头青少年的前瞻性队列。采用逻辑回归分析来确定与接受政府护理历史相关的因素。结果：在我们抽取的 937 名街头青少年样本中，有 455 名 (49%) 报告称在童年时期曾接受过政府护理。在多变量分析中，原住民血统（调整后的比值比 [AOR] = 2.07；95% 置信区间 [CI]：1.50 - 2.85）、首次“严重”使用药物时年龄较小（AOR = 1.10；95% CI：1.05 - 1.16）、高中未完成学业（AOR = 1.40；95% CI： 1.00 - 1.95)，有饮酒的父母 大量或使用非法药物（AOR = 1.48；95% CI：1.09 - 2.01）和经历身体虐待（AOR = 1.90；95% CI：1.22 - 2.96）与接触儿童福利系统独立相关。结论：有接受过政府护理历史的青少年似乎有较高风险发生与非法药物相关的不良行为。需要采取基于证据的干预措施，以更好地支持有儿童福利系统历史的弱势儿童和青少年，并防止该人群中出现问题的药物使用和街头参与。
Background: Street-involved youth are more likely to experience trauma and adverse events in childhood; however, little is known about exposure to the child welfare system among this vulnerable population. This study sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of being in government care among street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada.Methods: From September 2005 to November 2012, data were collected from the At-Risk Youth Study, a prospective cohort of street-involved youth aged 14-26 who use illicit drugs. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with a history of being in government care.Results: Among our sample of 937 street-involved youth, 455 (49%) reported being in government care at some point in their childhood. In a multivariate analysis, Aboriginal ancestry (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50 - 2.85), younger age at first "hard" substance use (AOR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.05 - 1.16), high school incompletion (AOR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.00 - 1.95), having a parent that drank heavily or used illicit drugs (AOR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.09 - 2.01), and experiencing physical abuse (AOR = 1.90; 95% CI: 1.22 - 2.96) were independently associated with exposure to the child welfare system.Conclusions: Youth with a history of being in government care appear to be at high-risk of adverse illicit substance-related behaviours. Evidence-based interventions are required to better support vulnerable children and youth with histories of being in the child welfare system, and prevent problematic substance use and street-involvement among this population.