ABSTRACT
Youth in foster care are more likely to experience health problems such as asthma compared to youth who are not in foster care. Data from a longitudinal study of youth in out-of-home care in one Midwestern metropolitan area were used to examine the association between placement-related factors and receiving treatment for asthma. Controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, youth who experienced more than one asthma spell, who were African American, or who had an internalizing mental health diagnosis were at increased risk of asthma. The finding that placement-related factors are associated with asthma in foster care youth raises implications for health service delivery.
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Notes on contributors
Allison E. Dunnigan
Allison E. Dunnigan, MSW, is a doctoral candidate at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She has a practice background in juvenile justice and child welfare and her research focuses on youth in these systems.
Tess Thompson
Tess Thompson, PhD, is a research assistant professor at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on cancer prevention and control.
Melissa Jonson-Reid
Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD, is Ralph & Muriel Professor of Social Work at the Brown School at Washington University. Her work focuses on improving services and policy responses for children reported for maltreatment as well as maltreatment prevention.
F. Brett Drake
F. Brett Drake, Ph.D. is a Professor of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. He has a field background as a child protective services investigator and has been studyng the epidemiology of child maltreatment using administrative data for the past 25 years.