Mental and neurodevelopmental health needs of Aboriginal children with experience of out-of-home care: a Western Australian data-linkage study
Files
(Published version)
Date
2024
Authors
Harrap, B.
Gibberd, A.
O'Donnell, M.
Jones, J.
Chenhall, R.
McNamara, B.
Simons, K.
Eades, S.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2024; 48(5):1-8
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Abstract
Objective: To identify additional mental and neurodevelopmental health needs of Aboriginal children born in Western Australia, who are placed in out-of-home care (OOHC), relative to Aboriginal children born in Western Australia who were not placed.
Methods: Data-linkage of hospitalisations, health registries and child protective services data for all Aboriginal children born in WA between 2000 and 2013 was used. Children placed in out-of-home care between 2000 and 2019 were matched to children never placed and prevalence and cumulative incidence estimates of mental and neurodevelopmental health conditions were compared.
Results: Children placed in out-of-home care had a three times greater prevalence of mental and neurodevelopmental health conditions generally. The prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder was ten times higher, and post-traumatic stress disorder was seven times higher for those placed in out-of-home care. Cumulative incidence plots highlighted for different conditions the ages at which the rate of diagnosis diverges between the two groups.
Conclusions: Children placed in out-of-home care had greater mental and neurodevelopmental health needs generally when compared to children never placed in out-of-home care .
Implications for Public Health: Child protective services must ensure culturally safe, comprehensive, wrap-around services for Aboriginal children and their families are provided. Approaches should build on the strength of children, families and culture and avoid stigmatising children and their parents.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Data source: Supplementary data, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anzjph.2024.100181
Access Status
Rights
Copyright 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Public Health Association of Australia. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)