An Examination of the Risk Factors for Health and Well-Being among Youth In-Care Submission Draft for ASA Conference 2019.

A report released by the Child First Canada in September of 2018 painted a troubling picture of children's health and well-being in Canada. This study specifically gave youth poor marks on a number of health markers including mental health, abuse, poverty and suicide. Using Assessment and Action Record (AAR) data from the Ontario Looking after Children (OnLAC) project, this study investigated the characteristics of youth living in out-of-home care that have the strongest impact on two dimensions of mental health and well-being (i.e., depression, visited a psychiatrist). Results from logistic regressions indicated that youth reporting lower levels of self-control and females were associated with both types of mental health dimensions. Relative to youth in foster care, those placed in group homes were significantly more likely to receive psychiatric services, while the placement type did not influence depression among these youth. These findings suggest a need to broaden the foundation of our understanding of the risk and protective factors of mental illness among this population of youth. That is, while prior research in this area has primarily investigated this topic through a psychological lens, this paper highlights the benefits of incorporating two major theories of criminality, social control theory and the general theory of crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]