Follow-up of girls placed in institutional out-of-home care during 1993 and 2006

How are girls placed in residential out-of-home care faring in adulthood? According to previous research, not so good. High levels of mental illness, psychosocial problems, and substance addiction. However, Swedish research on how these women fare after the age of 25 is largely lacking. Internationally, these adult women have not been given much attention either.

This is despite the fact that we know from criminological and psychiatric research that the vast majority of people desist from criminal and self-destructive behaviours and substance abuse sometime before the age of 30.

We also know that full brain maturation only occurs around the age of 25 and that the prefrontal cortex, which matures last, is necessary for good judgement and social moderation (Arain et al, 2013).

This means that follow-ups after the age of 30 can give different conclusions than follow-ups at earlier ages.The current project intends to make a series of preparations for an extensive follow-up project of girls placed in residential care at the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care (SiS) sometime between 1993 and 2006.

The total population is estimated to consist of approximately 4,400 women.

These women are today between 30 and 55-years and will all be part of the full project consising of three studies: a registry study (Study 1), a written survey (Study 2), and interviews (Study 3).During this project, we will primarily (1) do a solid statistical planning for Studies 1 and 2, (2) apply for ethical approval, (3) establish collaboration with SiS and investigate the possibilities of gaining access to personal data to recruit respondents to Study 2 and 3, (4) conduct pilot interviews with 10 women from the target group, (5) investigate what the women themselves find most meaningful to investigate, and (6) establish collaboration with two or three more researchers in order to complete the research group with advanced skills in statistics, medical neuroscience, and criminology.