Behavior problems, foster home integration, and evidence-based behavioral interventions: What predicts adoption of foster children?
Behavior problems, foster home integration, and evidence-based behavioral interventions: What predicts adoption of foster children?
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.01.017
复制
发表时间：
2012-05-01
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Rolock N
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Leathers SJ;Spielfogel JE;Gleeson JP;Rolock N
收养对有特殊心理健康需要的寄养儿童尤其重要，因为收养增加了父母的支持，而这往往是有心理健康问题的青年所迫切需要的。不幸的是，严重的行为问题往往会阻碍养父母收养孩子，而当孩子有行为问题时，人们对预测收养的因素知之甚少。先前的研究表明，养父母的行为训练可能会增加有行为问题的学龄前寄养儿童被成功收养的几率，但这一点此前没有在更早的样本中进行过测试。在年龄较大的儿童中，对行为问题的有效治疗也可能通过减少行为问题的干扰和加强儿童与寄养家庭的融合来增加收养。本初步研究通过测试行为问题、寄养家庭整合、基于证据的寄养父母干预和收养可能性之间的关系来关注这一问题。本研究采用意向治疗设计来比较31名有虐待和忽视史的寄养儿童的寄养家庭整合和收养可能性，这些寄养儿童的养父母接受了寄养行为父母干预（见）或常规服务。随机效应回归分析用于估计四个时间点的结果。正如预期的那样，外化行为问题对融合和收养都有负向影响，寄养家庭融合对收养有独立的正向影响。内化行为问题（如抑郁/焦虑）与收养或融入无关。然而，尽管干预对行为问题有积极作用，但对寄养家庭整合或收养都没有直接影响。本初步研究结果进一步证明了外化行为问题对收养的负面影响。研究结果还表明，寄养家庭融合是寄养家庭适应的一个重要方面，似乎与被收养的机会特别相关。虽然行为问题似乎削弱了寄养家庭的整合，但整合也是被收养可能性的独立预测因素。如果这些结果在更大的研究中得到重复，那么在案例规划和未来的干预研究中考虑寄养家庭的整合，重点是增加持久性，可能会潜在地改善有行为问题的寄养儿童的结果。
Adoption is particularly important for foster children with special mental health needs who are unable to return home, as adoption increases parental support often critically needed by youth with mental health issues. Unfortunately, significant behavior problems frequently inhibit foster parents from adopting, and little is known about factors that predict adoption when a child has behavior problems. Previous research suggests that foster parent behavioral training could potentially increase rates of successful adoptions for pre-school-aged foster children with behavior problems, but this has not been previously tested in older samples. In older children, effective treatment of behavior problems might also increase adoption by reducing the interference of behavior problems and strengthening the child’s foster home integration. This pilot study focused on this question by testing associations between behavior problems, foster home integration, an evidence-based foster parent intervention, and adoption likelihood. This study used an intent-to-treat design to compare foster home integration and adoption likelihood for 31 foster children with histories of abuse and neglect whose foster parents received a foster behavioral parenting intervention (see) or usual services. Random effect regression analyses were used to estimate outcomes across four time points. As expected, externalizing behavior problems had a negative effect on both integration and adoption, and foster home integration had an independent positive effect on adoption. Internalizing behavior problems (e.g., depression/anxiety) were not related to adoption or integration. However, the intervention did not have a direct effect on either foster home integration or adoption despite its positive effect on behavior problems. Results from this preliminary study provide further evidence of the negative effect of externalizing behavior problems on adoption. Its findings also suggest that foster home integration is an important dimension of foster home adaptation that appears particularly relevant to chances for adoption. While behavior problems appear to weaken foster home integration, integration is also an independent predictor of adoption likelihood. If these results are replicated in a larger study, consideration of foster home integration in case planning and future intervention studies focused on increasing permanency could potentially improve outcomes for foster children with behavior problems.