title: Maltreatment histories of aging out foster youth: A comparison of official investigated reports and self-reports of maltreatment prior to and during out-of-home care.
abstract: This study compared official investigated reports of child maltreatment with retrospective self-reports prior to and during out-of-home care for a sample of foster youth who reached the age of majority in out-of-home care in Illinois. Using matched administrative and self-reported data for 474 youth who completed a baseline interview in the Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (i.e. the Midwest study) at ages 17-18, and 386 youth who completed a follow up interview at age 19, this study finds that official reports and self-reports of maltreatment prior to and during out-of-home care differ significantly. Findings from this study add insight into measurement discrepancies, and help to inform understanding of the extent of maltreatment experienced by this sub-sample of young people exiting out-of-home care in adulthood. Study findings have implications for independent living policy and practice in child welfare.
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, USA.
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Havlicek
authors.affiliation: University of Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Courtney
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D057566:Self Report / Q000592:standards
keywords: Aging out foster youth; Concordance; Maltreatment measurement; Official investigated reports & self-reports of maltreatment