Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Launching into Adulthood from Institutional Care with a Serious Mental Health Condition

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
Community Mental Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the experiences of emerging adults with serious mental health conditions (e.g., bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder) before and after they emancipate from the child welfare system and exit a transitional living program. Sixteen participants were interviewed before and 13 were interviewed after aging out. Findings suggest that transitional living programs services were appreciated for the relationships and safety net they fostered. Future plans were positive, but vague, and worries about the future were prevalent. Struggles with independence post-emancipation were common despite adult service use. Additional research is needed to understand how to best support these at-risk emerging adults.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arnett, J. J. (2004). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the late twenties. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bond, G. R., Drake, R. E., & Becker, D. R. (2008). An update on randomized controlled trials of evidence-based supported employment. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 31(4), 280–290.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bullis, M., & Cheney, D. (1999). Vocational and transition interventions for adolescents and young adults with emotional or behavioral disorders. Focus on Exceptional Children, 31(7), 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, H. B., Karpur, A., Deschênes, N., Gamache, P., & Haber, M. (2008). Partnerships for youth transition (PYT): Overview of community initiatives and preliminary findings on transition to adulthood for youth and young adults with mental health challenges. In C. Newman, C. Liberton, K. Kutash, & R. M. Friedman (Eds.), The 20th annual research conference proceedings: A system of care for children’s mental health: Expanding the research base (pp. 329–332). Tampa, FL: University of South Florida. The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, H. B., & Unruh, D. K. (2009). Transition of youth and young adults with emotional or behavioral difficulties: An evidence-supported handbook (pp. 141–161). Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Courtney, M. E., Dworsky, A., Lee, J. S., & Rapp, M. (2010). Midwest evaluation of the adult functioning of former foster youth: Outcomes at ages 23 and 24. Chicago: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, M., Green, M., & Hoffman, C. (2009). The service system obstacle course for transition-age youth and young adults and their families. In H. B. Clark & D. K. Unrich (Eds.), Transition of youth and young adults with emotional of behavioral difficulties (pp. 3–24). Baltimore, Maryland: Paul H. Brooks Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, M., & Hunt, B. (2005). State adult mental health systems’ efforts to address the needs of young adults in transition to adulthood. Rockville, MD: US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, M., & Vander Stoep, A. (1997). The transition to adulthood among children and adolescents who have serious emotional disturbance part I: Developmental transitions. Journal of Mental Health Administration, 24(4), 400–427.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fagan, M. A., Munchel, W., Rogers, I., & Clark, H. B. (2009). Serving young adults with serious mental health challenges from dependency programs and community settings. In H. B. Clark & D. K. Unrich (Eds.), Transition of youth and young adults with emotional of behavioral difficulties (pp. 163–188). Baltimore, Maryland: Paul H. Brooks Publishing.

  • Gerzon, R. (1998). Finding serenity in the age of anxiety. New York: Batnam Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenen, S., & Powers, L. E. (2007). “Tomorrow is another problem” the experiences of youth in foster care during their transition into adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review, 29(8), 1085–1101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Havlachak, A., White, C. R., & O’Brien, K. (2008). Examining outcomes of young adults served by Casey Family Programs between 2004 and 2006. Casey Family Programs young Adult Survey: Findings over three years. Retrieved from http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/CaseyYoungAdultSurveyThreeYears.htm.

  • Keller, T. E., Cusick, G. R., & Courtney, M. E. (2007). Approaching the transition to adulthood: Distinctive profiles of adolescents ageing out of the child welfare system. Social Service Review, 81(3), 453–484.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, T., Salazar, A., & Courtney, M. E. (2010). Prevalence and timing of diagnosable mental health, alcohol, and substance use problems among older adolescents in the child welfare system. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(4), 626–634.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kerman, B., Wildfire, J., & Barth, R. (2002). Outcomes for young adults who experienced foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 24, 319–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCoy-Roth, M., Freundlich, M., Ross, T. (2010). Number of youth aging out of foster care continues to rise; Increasing 64 percent since 1999. Retrieved from http://www.fosteringconnections.org/tools/assets/files/Connections_Agingout.pdf.

  • McMillen, J. C., Scott, L. D., Zima, B. T., Ollie, M. R., Munson, M. R., & Spitznagel, E. L. (2004). Use of mental health services among older youths in foster care. Psychiatric Services, 55(7), 811–817.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McMillen, J. C., Zima, B. T., Scott, L. D., Auslander, W. F., Munson, M. R., Ollie, M. R., et al. (2005). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among older youths in the foster care system. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(1), 88–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mech, E. V. (2003). Uncertain futures: Foster youth transition to adulthood. Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Narendorf, S. C., Fedoravicius, N., McMillen, J. C., McNelly, D., & Robinson, D. R. (2012). Stepping down and stepping in: Youth’s perspectives on making the transition from residential treatment to treatment foster care. Children & Youth Services Review, 34(1), 43–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osgood, D. W., Foster, E. M., Flanagan, C., & Ruth, G. R. (2005). Why focus on the transition to adulthood for vulnerable populations? In D. W. Osgood, E. M. Foster, C. Flanagan, & G. R. Ruth (Eds.), On your own without a net: The transition to adulthood for vulnerable populations (pp. 1–26). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Propp, J., Ortega, D. M., & NewHeart, F. (2003). Independence or interdependence: Rethinking the transition from “ward of the court” to adulthood. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, 82(2), 259–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, L. (2008). Building a meaningful future for young people with mental illness. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 35(4), 362–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rumbaut, R. G., Komaie, G., & Morgan, C. V. (2007). Young adults in five sites of the United States: New York, San Diego, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Iowa. Prepared for the MacArthur Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood. Retrieved from http://transitions.s410.sureserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Young-Adult-Profile-5-Site-Comparison-May-2007-2.pdf.

  • Samuels, G. M. (2008). A Reason, a season, or a lifetime: Relational permanence among young adults with foster care backgrounds. Chicago: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samuels, G. M., & Pryce, J. M. (2008). “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”: Survivalist self-reliance as resilience and risk among young adults aging out of foster care. Children Youth Services Review, 30(6), 1198–1210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vander Stoep, A., Beresford, S. A. A., Weiss, N. S., McKnight, B., Cauce, A. M., & Cohen, P. (2000). Community-based study of the transition to adulthood for adolescents with psychiatric disorder. American Journal of Epidemiology, 152(4), 352–362.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thresholds-Dartmouth Research Center, 4101 N. Ravenswood, Chicago, IL, 60613, USA

    Vanessa Vorhies Klodnick & Kristin E. Davis

  2. Thresholds Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centers, Youth Services, 4101 N. Ravenswood, Chicago, IL, 60613, USA

    Marc A. Fagan & Allison Elias

Authors
  1. Vanessa Vorhies Klodnick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kristin E. Davis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marc A. Fagan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Allison Elias
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vanessa Vorhies Klodnick.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Klodnick, V.V., Davis, K.E., Fagan, M.A. et al. Launching into Adulthood from Institutional Care with a Serious Mental Health Condition. Community Ment Health J 50, 209–215 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9643-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9643-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation