Prior Trauma Exposure for Youth in Treatment Foster Care

Very little research has focused on rates of trauma exposure for youth in treatment foster care (TFC). Available research has utilized record review for assessing exposure, which presents limitations for the range of trauma types examined, as records are predominantly focused on abuse and neglect. The current study examines exposure rates and association with emotional and behavioral outcomes for 229 youth in 46 TFC agencies. The youth in this study had exceptionally high rates of trauma exposure by foster parent report, similar to youth in traditional foster care, with nearly half of the sample exposed to four or more types of traumatic events. A composite child abuse and neglect exposure variable was associated with child and adolescent emotional and behavioral outcomes. Implications for services provided as part of TFC are discussed.     

Use of Psychotropic Medications Among Youth in Treatment Foster Care

We describe the use of psychotropic medications among youth in treatment foster care (TFC). Data from 240 youth were coded to examine rates of medication use, including polypharmacy and an indicator of “questionable polypharmacy.” Fifty-nine percent of youth in TFC had taken a psychotropic medication within the past 2 months. Of the youth taking psychotropics, 61 % took two or more and 22 % met criteria for questionable polypharmacy. The majority of youth taking psychotropics also received psychosocial mental health services and were more likely to receive such services than youth not taking medication. Use of psychotropic medication use was not significantly related to demographic factors, maltreatment history, or custody. However, youth with more severe symptoms were more likely to be on medications and to be on multiple medications. Youth with “questionable polypharmacy” were less likely than other youth on multiple medications to have a recent visit to a psychiatrist.