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Patterns and correlates of personal, family, and prior placement variables in an interagency community based system of care

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Abstract

We examined interrelationships among personal, family, and prior service utilization data collected on young people selected to participate in a Chicago suburban area system of care, with a detailed consideration of a subset of 176 White participants aged 9–20 years. Data obtained through a review of archival information and then analyzed included WISC IQ grade retention, medication status, DSM diagnostic group, adjudication, marital status of parents, living situation before selection, maternal employment, public assistance status, family risk status, and placement history. Results showed that IQ and specific DSM diagnostic category were not important correlates of personal, family, or placement variables, although having a DSM diagnosis of any kind was. Family risk factors, including family history of mental illness, substance abuse, criminal conviction, and violence in the family, were related to other family variables, primarily. Adjudication and prescribed medication appeared to have been alternative responses to these young people's problems. A cluster analysis of these system of care participants' placement histories indicated five clusters characterized by varied personal and family correlates, as well as different patterns of placement usage.

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Cullinan, D., Epstein, M.H. & Quinn, K.P. Patterns and correlates of personal, family, and prior placement variables in an interagency community based system of care. J Child Fam Stud 5, 299–321 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02234665

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