Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
Aust N Z J Public Health. 2024 Oct;48(5):100181. doi: 10.1016/j.anzjph.2024.100181. Epub 2024 Sep 24.
To identify additional mental and neurodevelopmental health needs of Aboriginal children born in Western Australia, who are placed in out-of-home care (OOHC), relative to Aboriginal children born in Western Australia who were not placed.
Data-linkage of hospitalisations, health registries and child protective services data for all Aboriginal children born in WA between 2000 and 2013 was used. Children placed in out-of-home care between 2000 and 2019 were matched to children never placed and prevalence and cumulative incidence estimates of mental and neurodevelopmental health conditions were compared.
Children placed in out-of-home care had a three times greater prevalence of mental and neurodevelopmental health conditions generally. The prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder was ten times higher, and post-traumatic stress disorder was seven times higher for those placed in out-of-home care. Cumulative incidence plots highlighted for different conditions the ages at which the rate of diagnosis diverges between the two groups.
Children placed in out-of-home care had greater mental and neurodevelopmental health needs generally when compared to children never placed in out-of-home care .
Child protective services must ensure culturally safe, comprehensive, wrap-around services for Aboriginal children and their families are provided. Approaches should build on the strength of children, families and culture and avoid stigmatising children and their parents.
确定在澳大利亚西部出生的、被安置在家庭外照料（OOHC）中的原住民儿童的额外精神和神经发育健康需求，与未被安置的原住民儿童相比。
使用了 2000 年至 2013 年期间所有在西澳大利亚出生的原住民儿童的住院、健康登记和儿童保护服务数据的链接。将 2000 年至 2019 年期间被安置在家庭外照料中的儿童与从未被安置的儿童相匹配，并比较了精神和神经发育健康状况的患病率和累积发病率估计值。
被安置在家庭外照料中的儿童的精神和神经发育健康状况总体上患病率更高，为三倍。被安置在家庭外照料中的儿童的胎儿酒精谱系障碍患病率高十倍，创伤后应激障碍患病率高七倍。累积发病率图突出显示了不同条件下，两组之间诊断率差异的年龄。
与从未被安置在家庭外照料中的儿童相比，被安置在家庭外照料中的儿童的精神和神经发育健康需求总体上更大。
儿童保护服务必须确保为原住民儿童及其家庭提供文化安全、全面、综合性的服务。方法应建立在儿童、家庭和文化的优势基础上，避免污名化儿童及其父母。
