Fowler Patrick J, Marcal Katherine E, Zhang Jinjin, Day Orin, Landsverk John
Washington University in St. Louis.
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
Child Youth Serv Rev. 2017 Jun;77:27-33. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.03.017. Epub 2017 Mar 30.
The present study represents the first large-scale, prospective comparison to test whether aging out of foster care contributes to homelessness risk in emerging adulthood. A nationally representative sample of adolescents investigated by the child welfare system in 2008 to 2009 from the second cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being Study (NSCAW II) reported experiences of housing problems at 18- and 36-month follow-ups. Latent class analyses identified subtypes of housing problems, including literal homelessness, housing instability, and stable housing. Regressions predicted subgroup membership based on aging out experiences, receipt of foster care services, and youth and county characteristics. Youth who reunified after out-of-home placement in adolescence exhibited the lowest probability of literal homelessness, while youth who aged out experienced similar rates of literal homelessness as youth investigated by child welfare but never placed out of home. No differences existed between groups on prevalence of unstable housing. Exposure to independent living services and extended foster care did not relate with homelessness prevention. Findings emphasize the developmental importance of families in promoting housing stability in the transition to adulthood, while questioning child welfare current focus on preparing foster youth to live.
本研究是首次大规模的前瞻性比较，旨在测试脱离寄养照顾是否会增加成年早期无家可归的风险。对2008年至2009年儿童福利系统调查的全国代表性青少年样本进行研究，这些样本来自全国儿童和青少年福祉研究（NSCAW II）的第二批队列，在18个月和36个月的随访中报告了住房问题经历。潜在类别分析确定了住房问题的亚型，包括实际无家可归、住房不稳定和稳定住房。回归分析根据脱离寄养经历、接受寄养服务情况以及青少年和郡县特征预测亚组成员身份。青少年期离家安置后与家人团聚的年轻人实际无家可归的概率最低，而脱离寄养的年轻人实际无家可归的发生率与接受儿童福利调查但从未离家安置的年轻人相似。各组在住房不稳定患病率方面没有差异。接受独立生活服务和延长寄养与预防无家可归无关。研究结果强调了家庭在促进向成年过渡期间住房稳定方面的发展重要性，同时也对儿童福利目前关注为寄养青年做好生活准备提出了质疑。
