Association Between Unstable Placement Patterns and Problem Behaviors in Adolescent Girls

ABSTRACT

The literature on youths in residential care links instability in their placements with problems in their behavior, but to date, limitations in the operationalization of these concepts have limited knowledge regarding this relationship. To address this gap, this study of 249 adolescent girls in residential care examined three configurations of placement patterns and their effects on five problem behaviors: aggression, stealing, gang affiliation, substance use, and sex-trade activities. Those girls who experienced the “physical instability” pattern (the most moves into and out of care) were the ones most likely to engage in sex-trade activities. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• adolescent girls
• instability
• placement patterns
• problem behaviors
• residential care

Funding

This study has been financially supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, through the Canada Research Chair in Adolescent Delinquency, the National Crime Prevention Strategy of Canada. It also has been funded by the Fond de recherche du Québec - Société et culture and the Centre jeunesse de Montréal - Institut universitaire, two entities linked to the provincial Government of Quebec in Canada.

Statement

This manuscript has not been published elsewhere and has not been submit simultaneously for publication elsewhere.

Additional information

Funding

This study has been financially supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, through the Canada Research Chair in Adolescent Delinquency, the National Crime Prevention Strategy of Canada. It also has been funded by the Fond de recherche du Québec - Société et culture and the Centre jeunesse de Montréal - Institut universitaire, two entities linked to the provincial Government of Quebec in Canada.