The Association Between Foster Care and Substance Abuse Risk Factors and Treatment Outcomes: An Exploratory Secondary Analysis

Abstract

The child welfare and substance abuse systems are integrally linked through the children and families they both serve. There is a dearth of knowledge, however, on how children who have experienced foster care fare when they are treated for substance abuse issues as adults. This article presents an exploratory study using the Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS) data set. To pursue a set of exploratory questions, adults in substance abuse treatment who were formerly in foster care were matched with a group who had not experienced substitute care. Their experiences before and after treatment were compared. This article presents the methodological and substantive findings.

KEYWORDS:

• child welfare
• exploratory study
• foster care
• secondary analysis
• substance abuse treatment

Notes

¹LONGSCAN, NSCAW, and the Multistate Foster Care Data Archives are notable examples of child welfare databases.

²U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. ALCOHOL AND DRUG SERVICES STUDY, 1996–1999: [United States] [Computer file]. Conducted by Brandeis University. 2nd ICPSR ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2002.

∗p ≤ .05.

∗p ≤ .05.