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Abstract. Growing Up In The Foster Care System Can Be A

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Abstract Growing up in the foster care system can be a traumatic experience for most of the children in this population. This study takes a closer look at certain types of abuse, rather than traumatic experiences suffered extensively, that ultimately led to the diagnosis of PTSD. Most of the abuse consisted of either rape, torture, and/or molestation. The methods and data were obtained from 732 foster care adolescents, ranging from 17 to 18 years of age. The study assessed the trauma within the DSM-V that the participants were exposed during their lifetime, and the diagnosis of PTSD that followed. The results of this study showed that 80.3 percent of the participants were exposed to at least one major traumatic experience, with 61.7 …show more content…

Researchers used a longitudinal panel study in order to find a group of adolescents whom were leaving the welfare system and transitioning over to independent living. Out of 770 cases for older adolescents leaving the foster care system ages 17-18, 732 consented to be a part of the study (2013). Results and Conclusion Per the authors, the results of this study found that most of the adolescents experienced one traumatic incident while in the foster care system. The trauma linked to PTSD most of often are torture, molestation, and/or rape. The results also indicated that males typically suffer from violence and trauma among their close surrounding, and females are most likely to experience sexual assault. This study concluded that youth in the foster care system have higher rates of PTSD than the general population of their peers. The future for these youths is also likely to be negatively impacted by the time become independent at the age of 18. Aging out of the foster care system to a rough independence is most likely to impact the traumatic experiences already endured by the participants. About 30 percent of the participants, experience extreme trauma at 16, which does not leave much time for recovery or coping. There is far less research in the foster care system than that of the general population when it comes to traumatic experiences. Future research should be directed to look at the

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