An examination of mental health factors related to risk -taking behaviors in children and adolescents.

Children and adolescents within the child welfare system are at risk for developing significant mental health problems, due in large part to the chaotic environments in which they live. In many cases, these youth are removed from their family of origin and placed in out-of-home or “foster†care. Many times these children and adolescents endured repeated placements and transitions, which make them vulnerable to problems in the future, particularly by engaging in risky behaviors that may increase the likelihood that they return to the system as parents themselves. This study investigated the impact of anxiety and depression on sexual activity and substance use behaviors in a combined foster care and community sample. To further understand the patterns of these behaviors, several measures of depression, social and generalized anxiety were collected and analyzed along with demographic, sexual activity, and substance use information. Results indicated significant differences between the foster care sample and adolescents living in the community, with adolescents in foster care having higher levels of depression and substance use, a younger age at first sexual intercourse, and more sexual partners than their community counterparts. Analysis of the sample as a whole indicated that group membership (foster vs. community) was associated with number of sexual partners, age at first intercourse, and substance use, even after controlling for age, externalizing behavior, and parent/peer attachment. Social anxiety was negatively related to number of sexual partners, while depression was positively related to substance use. Overall, the results of the study indicated that adolescents in foster care had higher levels of risky sexual behavior and substance use than those in the community, and that symptoms of social anxiety and depression were associated with risk-taking behaviors in the sample as a whole. This study has implications for children and adolescents within the child welfare system, as well as for those within the general community. Limitations and future directions are discussed