Psychological Medicine

Table of Contents - 01 October 2011 - Volume 41, Issue 10  

Original Articles

Do adult emotional and behavioural outcomes vary as a function of diverse childhood experiences of the public care system?

A. Dregana1 c1, J. Browna2 and D. Armstronga1

a1 Division of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King's College London, UK

a2 Department of Quantitative Social Sciences, Institute of Education, London, UK

Abstract

Background Longitudinal data from the 1970 British Cohort Study were used to examine the long-term adult outcomes of those who, as children, were placed in public care.

Method Multivariate logistic estimation models were used to determine whether public care and placement patterns were associated with adult psychosocial outcomes. Seven emotional and behavioural outcomes measured at age 30 years were considered: depression, life dissatisfaction, self-efficacy, alcohol problems, smoking, drug abuse, and criminal convictions.

Results The analyses revealed a significant association between public care status and adult maladjustment on depression [odds ratio (OR) 1.74], life dissatisfaction (OR 1.45), low self-efficacy (OR 1.95), smoking (OR 1.70) and criminal convictions (OR 2.13).

Conclusions Overall, the present study findings suggest that there are enduring influences of a childhood admission to public care on emotional and behavioural adjustment from birth to adulthood. Some of the associations with childhood public care were relatively strong, particularly with respect to depression, self-efficacy and criminal convictions.

(Received October 26 2010)

(Revised February 01 2011)

(Accepted February 03 2011)

(Online publication March 04 2011)

Key Words:

Correspondence:

c1 Address for correspondence: Dr A. Dregan, Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, Capital House, 42 Weston St, London SE1 3QD, UK. (Email: alexandru.dregan@kcl.ac.uk)

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