Improving outcomes for pregnant and parenting foster care youth with severe mental illness: an evaluation of a transitional living program.

OBJECTIVE: This study provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of a residential program with comprehensive wrap-around services for pregnant and parenting foster care youth with severe mental illness or severe emotional disturbance who are preparing to transition to independent living.

METHODS: Twenty-five females ages 18 to 21 participated. Program effectiveness was determined by tracking monthly status changes, such as education, employment, and hospitalizations, as well as by comparing scores on four bi-annually administered standardized assessments of parenting competency and stress, child maltreatment risk, and mental health symptoms.

RESULTS: Assessment findings indicate that program participation is associated with positive changes in participants' familial relationships, family responsibility and care, proper parenting behavior and feelings, and parental distress and competency, but no change in mental health symptoms. Positive behavior changes associated with program participation were observed in education, employment, and low numbers of suspected and substantiated child maltreatment reports. Negative behavior changes associated with the program were frequency of AWOL incidents and subsequent pregnancies.

CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to evaluate a program designed for this very unique population and has implications for program design and policy. Future research with more rigorous experimental design is necessary in order to understand the critical ingredients of programs serving this vulnerable population.