2 - (IOP 7) The Impact of Out-of-home Placement on the Ethnic/racial Identity Development Among Youth At-risk for Maltreatment

Nearly two-third of adults have at least one ACE. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) negatively affect various domains of child development. Identifying factors that promote resilience among youth with ACEs is crucial. Ethnic/racial identity (ERI) can mitigate the adverse effects of stressors on Black youth mental health. However, research on typical ERI development has rarely considered the impact of ACEs and related experiences, such as separation from biological parents and placement with non-biological caregivers. This study used longitudinal data from diverse youth to understand how out-of-home placement, ethnicity/race, sex, and ACEs interact to impact ERI among youth at risk for maltreatment.

Participants were 835 diverse youth (50% female; 57.7% Black, 20.7% White) from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. Youth were recruited for being “at-risk” for adversity prior to age 4, and participated with their caregivers in face-to-face interviews every two years until they were 12 years old. We used interview records to determine whether youth were ever living with caregivers other than their biological parents. Number of ACEs from 0-12 years old was calculated combining prospective youth and parent reports, as well as Child Protective Services records. Caregiver respondents identified youth sex at time of enrollment (age 4). Youth respondents completed the affirmation and belonging scale of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) at age 12 and reported on their self-identified ethnicity.

On average, youth experienced 3.44 ACEs (SD = 2.39) and nearly two-thirds (64%) lived with their biological parent(s) through ages 4-12. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated significant predictors of placement disruption, b = -.15, and p = .04, and Native American ethnicity, b = .19, p = .03. The interaction between placement and ethnicity was significant at one level (placement disruption: Black ethnicity), indicating that for Black youth, being placed with non-biological caregivers was associated with stronger affirmation and belonging compared to white youth who were placed with non-biological caregivers, b = .25, p = .005. For white youth, being placed with non-biological caregivers was associated with weaker affirmation and belonging compared to white youth who remained with their biological caregivers, b = -.15, p = .04. For Black, Native, Hispanic, and mixed youth, there was no significant association between placement and affirmation and belonging.

ERI is a key target in promoting resilience among Black and other racial-ethnic minoritized youth. We found that youth of color with disruptions in placement had no significant difference in feelings of ethnic-racial affirmation and belonging compared to youth of color with stable placement. Prior literature has shown that youth with placement disruption are less likely to endorse positive feelings about their racial-ethnic group membership; our unexpected finding may indicate youth in early adolescence are still in the early processes of identity development and may not experience as detrimental effects on their ERI development as later adolescents and young adults.