MENTAL AND SOMATIC HEALTH OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS PLACED IN OUT-OF-HOME CARE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH STUDIES

Purpose: A comprehensive understanding of the health-related trajectories of children placed in out-of-home care (OHC) is beneficial in order to increase knowledge of the lifetime health status of these children. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize research evidence of studies investigating both psychiatric and somatic health of children and adolescents before, during or after OHC. Methods: This review followed the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed literature search was used to find studies on OHC from the perspective of healthcare. Eleven articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results: Eight studies evaluated the mental and somatic health of participants during, three after and none before OHC. The findings show that during OHC both mental and somatic health conditions were more prevalent among OHC-placed children compared to their peers. The difference was most apparent in mental health outcomes. After OHC, the health status of children remained worse compared to non-OHC peers. Conclusion: Creating a more comprehensive picture of the health of the children in OHC is important. This enables the promotion of healthy mental and physical development among children in foster care services and to avoid long-term negative outcomes in their later health and coping in life. More research is warranted to simultaneously investigate mental and physical health of children who have experienced OHC placement. Lack of research especially occurs at the time before placement, thus research in future should focus particularly on this period. Unified systematic practices for assessing the comprehensive health status and ensuring required support of children in OHC is needed.