Practitioner Review: Children in foster care - vulnerabilities and evidence-based interventions that promote resilience processes

• Published in: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry Vol. 53; no. 12; pp. 1197 - 1211
• Main Authors: Leve, Leslie D., Harold, Gordon T., Chamberlain, Patricia, Landsverk, John A., Fisher, Philip A., Vostanis, Panos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2012; Wiley-Blackwell; Blackwell
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adolescents; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Child Abuse; Child Abuse - psychology; Child Development; Child Neglect; Child, Preschool; Children; Delivery Systems; Evidence; Evidence based; Evidence-Based Practice - methods; Foster Care; Foster children; Foster Home Care - psychology; Humans; Infant; Interpersonal Relationship; Intervention; Interventions; maltreatment; Medical sciences; Mental Health Services; parenting; Parenting - psychology; Parents; Placement; Psychological abuse; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; psychosocial adjustment; resilience; Resilience (Psychology); Resilience, Psychological; Risk; Risk Factors; Sexual Abuse; United States; Victimology; Vulnerability; Vulnerable Populations - psychology; United States; Human; maltreatment; Parental behavior; Evidence-based practice; Social adjustment; Foster care placement; psychosocial adjustment; Vulnerability; Review; Victimology; Resilience; Mistreatment; Treatment; foster care; Family environment; intervention; Child; parenting
• ISSN: 0021-9630; 1469-7610
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02594.x

Background:  An increasing number of children are placed in foster care (i.e., a kin or nonkin family home other than the biological parent) due to experiences of physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological abuse, and/or neglect. Children in foster care are at increased risk for a host of negative outcomes encompassing emotional, behavioral, neurobiological, and social realms. Methods:  Areas of risk and vulnerability among foster children are described, including emotional and behavioral deficits, impaired neurobiological development, and social relationship deficits. Evidence suggesting the significance of family placement changes and prenatal exposure to substances as contributing mechanisms is presented. Based on a systematic search of the PsycINFO database (to March 2012), eight efficacious evidence‐based interventions for foster families are summarized. Findings:  Although the development of evidence‐based interventions that improve outcomes for foster children has lagged behind the delivery of interventions in other service sectors (e.g., mental health and educational sectors), several interventions across childhood and adolescence offer promise. Service system constraints offer both challenges and opportunities for more routine implementation of evidence‐based interventions. Conclusions:  Given the increased likelihood of poor outcomes for foster children, increased efforts to understand the pathways to vulnerability and to implement interventions shown to be effective in remediating risks and improving outcomes for this population are indicated. Evaluation of efficacious interventions in countries outside of the United States is also needed.