Childhood maltreatment and mental health problems are common among young people placed out-of-home. However, evidence on the impact of maltreatment on the course of mental health problems in at... Show moreChildhood maltreatment and mental health problems are common among young people placed out-of-home. However, evidence on the impact of maltreatment on the course of mental health problems in at-risk populations is sparse. The aim of this longitudinal study is twofold: (a) describe the course of mental health problems and the shift in symptom patterns among adolescents in youth residential care into young adulthood and (b) assess how childhood maltreatment is related to the course of mental health problems. One hundred and sixty-six adolescents in Swiss youth residential care were followed up into young adulthood (36.1% women; MAge-Baseline = 16.1 years; MAge-Follow-Up = 26.4 years). Latent transition analysis was employed to analyze transitions of symptom patterns and their association with maltreatment exposure. We found three latent classes of mental health problems: a "multiproblem"-class (51.8% baseline; 33.7% follow-up), a "low symptom"-class (39.2% baseline; 60.2% follow-up), and an "externalizing"-class (9.0% baseline; 6.0% follow-up). Individuals in the "multiproblem"-class were likely to transition towards less-complex symptom patterns. Higher severity of self-reported childhood maltreatment was associated with more complex and persistent mental health problems. Our study underlines the need for collaboration between residential and psychiatric care systems within and after care placements, with a specialized focus on trauma-informed interventions and care. Show less
Background: Care leavers transitioning into adulthood represent a highly vulnerable population, confronted with usual developmental tasks under difficult predisposing conditions. Early-risk and... Show moreBackground: Care leavers transitioning into adulthood represent a highly vulnerable population, confronted with usual developmental tasks under difficult predisposing conditions. Early-risk and persistent substance use may be an obstacle for care leavers transitioning from youth residential care settings into an independent adult life.Objectives: This study aims to address the following questions: (1) How stable is high-risk substance use from within care to after youth residential care? (2) Are there differences between longitudinal substance use risk pathways and sociodemographic characteristics, placement history, and adverse exposures? (3) Is the persistency of high-risk substance use associated with impaired young adult psychosocial functioning?Method: In a prospective longitudinal design, with a baseline in youth residential care (t1) and a follow-up ten years later (t2), we investigated the courses of substance use in 182 young adult care leavers in Switzerland (32.4 % women; Mean age = 26.7 years). Psychosocial functioning was assessed across health, legal, educational, and financial domains.Results: We found large prevalence rates of high-risk substance use in and after residential youth care (41.2 % in residential care; 46.2 % after leaving care). Of those care leavers who reported earlier high-risk substance use, 61.3 % persisted, while 38.7 % remitted. Four substance risk pathways were identified longitudinally: low (N = 69, 37.9 %), remitted (N = 29, 15.9 %), newly-developed (N = 38, 20.9 %), and persistent risk (N = 46, 25.3 %). Persistent high-risk substance use was associated with higher rates of adverse functional outcomes in young adulthood.Conclusions: Findings of this study shed light on the high prevalence of earlier and persistent high-risk substance use in youth residential care leavers. High-risk substance use appears to have the potential to coincide with impaired psychosocial functioning during and after the transition to young adulthood. Implications for educational and vocational paths as well as harm-reducing interventions are discussed. More research disentangling risk pathways and intervention research in at-risk populations is warranted. Show less
Purpose: Both the resting heart rate (RHR) and the callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been associated with juvenile delinquency, however the effect of their interaction is not yet clear.Methods:... Show morePurpose: Both the resting heart rate (RHR) and the callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been associated with juvenile delinquency, however the effect of their interaction is not yet clear.Methods: Four hundred and twenty-three institutionalized adolescents divided into early adolescents (10-14 years, n = 133), late adolescents (15-17 years, n = 286), and young adults (18-22 years, n = 136) participated in the study. RHR was measured using a wristband, and CU traits and delinquency history were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Moderation analysis was performed to understand how the combination between RHR and CU is associated to offending.Results: CU traits were associated with offending at all ages. The interactions between RHR and CU traits were significantly related to the likelihood of offending in the early and the late adolescent. The highest likelihood of offending is related to high CU traits combined with low RHR in early adolescents and with high RHR in late adolescents.Conclusions: These findings provide further insight in the relationship between psychopathic traits and bio-physiological maturation in explaining juvenile delinquency. Show less
The gendered general strain theory posits that differences in delinquency across gender are due to differences in coping with negative emotions. The present study tests its validity over a 10-year... Show moreThe gendered general strain theory posits that differences in delinquency across gender are due to differences in coping with negative emotions. The present study tests its validity over a 10-year follow-up. We measured exposure to strain, levels of anxiety/depression, anger/irritability, and delinquent behaviors through questionnaires and interviews during residential care (T1) and then 10 years later (T2) in a sample of 80 men and 54 women who were placed in youth welfare and juvenile justice institutions in Switzerland during childhood/adolescence. We observed that, in men, less delinquency at T1 and more symptoms of anxiety/depression at T1 are related to less delinquency at T2. In women, none of the emotional variables nor strain predicted delinquency over time. Results give important insights regarding the risk factors related to long-term delinquency in men but only partially support the gendered general strain theory. Show less
