Sexual and Gender Minority Youth in Foster Care: An Evidence-Based Theoretical Conceptual Model of Disproportionality and Psychological Comorbidities

Prince, DM (通讯作者),Case Western Reserve Univ, Jack Joseph & Morton Mandel Sch Appl Social Sci, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106 USA.
2022-12
Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) are overrepresented in the foster care system and experience greater foster-care-related stressors than their non-SGM peers. These factors may further elevate their risk of anxiety/depressive, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm, and suicidality. The system currently produces unequal and disproportionate adverse mental health outcomes for SGMY and needs points of intervention to disrupt this status quo. This article provides an empirically grounded conceptual-theoretical model of disproportionate representation and burden of psychological comorbidities experienced by SGMY in the foster care system. We apply findings from an integrated literature review of empirical research on factors related to overrepresentation and mental health burden among SGMY to minority stress theory to explicate how and why the foster care system exacerbates mental health comorbidities for SGMY. Searches were conducted in June 2020 in PubMed using MeSH terms and title/abstract terms for foster care, sexual or gender minorities, and psychological comorbidities. Inclusion criteria are studies conducted in the United States, published in English, focused on mental illness, and published between June 2010 and 2020. Developmental/intellectual and eating disorders were excluded. The initial search returned 490 results. After applying inclusion criteria, 229 results remained and are utilized to build our conceptual-theoretical model. We assert that the phenomenon of disproportionate psychological comorbidities for SGMY in foster care is best represented as a complex and dynamic system with multiple feedback loops. Extant empirical and theoretical literature identifies three critical areas for intervention: family acceptance, community belonging and queer chosen/constructed family, and affirming and nondiscriminatory child welfare policy.
TRAUMA VIOLENCE & ABUSE
卷号:23|期号:5|页码:1643-1657
ISSN:1524-8380|收录类别:SSCI
语种
英语
来源机构
Case Western Reserve University; Case Western Reserve University
资助信息
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (MD002265) and the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.
被引频次(WOS)
2
被引频次(其他)
2
180天使用计数
1
2013以来使用计数
15
EISSN
1552-8324
出版年
2022-12
DOI
10.1177/15248380211013129
关键词
GLBT mental health and violence child abuse cultural contexts adolescent victims sexual assault
资助机构
National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities(United States Department of Health & Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health (NIH) - USANIH National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities (NIMHD)) Center for Reducing Health Disparities at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH
WOS学科分类
Criminology & Penology Family Studies Social Work
学科领域
循证法学 循证社会学