Mentoring and relationship skill programmes can improve the mental health of foster children.
Mentoring and relationship skill programmes can improve the mental health of foster children.
Children who have been maltreated and placed in foster care or a private home are at higher risk for significant mental health problems including depression, post-traumatic stress, dissociation, social problems, suicidal behaviour, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorders.
To evaluate the efficacy of the mentoring and relationship skills programme in reducing mental health problems and associated problems, researchers studied 156 American children, aged 9 to 11 years, who were maltreated and placed in foster care. The children were randomly assigned to either a control group of 77 children, who received usual care or a group of 79 children, who received skills development and one-on-one mentoring by graduate students in social work. All the participants and their caregivers were interviewed at the start of the study, immediately after the intervention, and again six months later. The skills development included traditional cognitive behavioural skills, group activities and weekly programmes meant to encourage children to practice newly learned skills with their mentors.
It was found that children in the skills development group had less mental health problems, better quality of life, and appeared less likely to report symptoms of post-traumatic stress than those in the control group.
The findings show that mentoring and relationship skills programme promotes better mental health among maltreated youth placed in foster care.
Children who have been maltreated and placed in foster care or a private home are at higher risk for significant mental health problems including depression, post-traumatic stress, dissociation, social problems, suicidal behaviour, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorders.
To evaluate the efficacy of the mentoring and relationship skills programme in reducing mental health problems and associated problems, researchers studied 156 American children, aged 9 to 11 years, who were maltreated and placed in foster care. The children were randomly assigned to either a control group of 77 children, who received usual care or a group of 79 children, who received skills development and one-on-one mentoring by graduate students in social work. All the participants and their caregivers were interviewed at the start of the study, immediately after the intervention, and again six months later. The skills development included traditional cognitive behavioural skills, group activities and weekly programmes meant to encourage children to practice newly learned skills with their mentors.
It was found that children in the skills development group had less mental health problems, better quality of life, and appeared less likely to report symptoms of post-traumatic stress than those in the control group.
The findings show that mentoring and relationship skills programme promotes better mental health among maltreated youth placed in foster care.
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