PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Elizabeth Wall-Wieler
AU  - Leslie L Roos
AU  - James Bolton
AU  - Marni Brownell
AU  - Nathan C Nickel
AU  - Dan Chateau
TI  - Maternal health and social outcomes after having a child taken into care: population-based longitudinal cohort study using linkable administrative data
AID  - 10.1136/jech-2017-209542
DP  - 2017 Dec 01
TA  - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
PG  - 1145--1151
VI  - 71
IP  - 12
4099  - http://jech.bmj.com/content/71/12/1145.short
4100  - http://jech.bmj.com/content/71/12/1145.full
SO  - J Epidemiol Community Health2017 Dec 01; 71
AB  - Background We investigated whether mothers experience changes to their health and social situation after having a child taken into care by child protection services, then compared these outcomes with those found in mothers whose children were not taken into care.Methods The cohort includes mothers whose first child was born in Manitoba between 1 April 1998 and 31 March 2011. Mothers whose children were taken into care after age 2 (n=1591) were compared with a matched group of women whose children were not taken into care (n=1591).Results The rates of mental illness diagnoses, treatment use and social factors were significantly higher for mother whose children were taken into care, both in the 2 years before and in the 2 years after the index date. These adjusted relative rates (ARRs) increased significantly for anxiety (before ARR=2.71, after ARR=3.55), substance use disorder (3.77–5.95), physician visits for mental illness (2.83–3.66), number of prescriptions (psychotropic: 4.35–5.86; overall: 2.34–2.94), number of different prescriptions (psychotropic: 2.70-3.27; overall: 1.62–1.70), residential mobility (1.40–1.63) and welfare use (2.07–2.30).Conclusion The health and social situation of mothers involved with child protection services deteriorates after their child is taken into care. Mothers would benefit from supports during this time period to ensure that the outcomes they experience after the loss of their child do not become another barrier to reunification.