Community Adversity and Utilization of Psychotropic Medications Among Children in Foster Care

This study uses a cross-sectional design integrated foster care and Medicaid administrative data with data from Kids Count, the US Census, and the Area Health Resource File. There were 4,334 children ages 5 –18 in foster care in 2014. We usedK-means cluster analysis grouped state counties using indicators of school performance, juvenile justice involvement, and food insecurity. Chi-square tests assessed significance between psychotropic medication and community adversity cluster. A generalized linear mixed model assessed the relationship between psychotropic use and community adversity cluster, accounting for individual-level and cluster-level factors. Children in foster care living in high adversity communities were significantly less likely to use psychotropic medication (p <  .0001). Future research can investigate the specific community factor influencing judicious use of psychotropic medication and the impact on children outcomes.
Source: The Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research