Hansen Robin L, Mawjee Fatema Lakhani, Barton Keith, Metcalf Mary B, Joye Nancy R
Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis, USA.
Child Welfare. 2004 Jul-Aug;83(4):367-80.
Children in foster care face poverty, family dysfunction, neglect, and abuse, with high rates of chronic health, emotional, and developmental problems. This study compared the overall health status of a group of children entering foster care with a group of Medicaid-eligible children living with their parents, matched for age and gender. It identified significantly more health and developmental problems in children in foster care than in the comparison group. Possible contributors to the higher percentage of problems among foster care children may be that the foster children have more problems related to the underlying risk factors resulting in placement, or that the foster care physicians conducted a more comprehensive assessment or had lower clinical thresholds. Further research is necessary to identify and treat the problems of this high-risk group.
寄养儿童面临贫困、家庭功能失调、忽视和虐待等问题，慢性健康、情感和发育问题的发生率很高。本研究比较了一组进入寄养机构的儿童与一组符合医疗补助条件且与父母同住的儿童（年龄和性别匹配）的整体健康状况。研究发现，寄养儿童的健康和发育问题明显多于对照组。寄养儿童中问题比例较高的可能原因是，寄养儿童与导致安置的潜在风险因素相关的问题更多，或者是寄养机构的医生进行了更全面的评估，或者临床阈值较低。有必要进行进一步研究，以识别和治疗这一高危群体的问题。
