Date of Award

1999

Degree Name

Psychology

College

College of Education and Professional Development

Type of Degree

M.A.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Tony Goudy

Second Advisor

Joseph Shaver

Third Advisor

Samuel Church

Fourth Advisor

Stephen L. O'Keefe

Abstract

Foster care placement is considered to be the primary placement option for children who are removed from their families for reasons of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect. Child care workers question the level of future success these children will acquire if they are not removed from their abusive environments as soon as possible. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the age at time of removal and success levels in the areas of education, substance abuse, and probation involvement during the adolescent years, ages 16- 18.

Subjects• functioning in these areas was assessed by administering the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale, Juvenile Automated Substance Abuse Evaluation, Acuity Scale, SUMONE for Kids, and West Virginia Youth/Family Demographics. Additional data was collected utilizing subjects' foster care files. Outcome data strongly supported the earlier a youth is removed from an abusive environment and placed in foster care the greater the outcomes will be in areas of educational success, substance abuse, and probation involvement during the adolescent years 16-18.

Subject(s)

Foster children -- West Virginia.

Foster home care.

Abused children -- Services for.

Child development -- Effect of foster care on.

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