Correction: Research using population-based administration data integrated with longitudinal data in child protection settings: A systematic review

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249088.].

Trajectories of homelessness and association with mental health and substance use disorders among young people transitioning from out-of-home care in Australia

BACKGROUND

Researchers have examined sub-groups that may exist among young people transitioning from out-of-home care (OHC) using various theoretical models. However, this population group has not been examined for trajectories of homelessness risk.

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether different subtypes of homelessness risk exist among young people transitioning from care and whether these trajectories of homelessness are associated with mental health and substance use disorders.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted from a population of 1018 young people (aged 15-18 years) who transitioned from out-of-home in 2013 to 2014 in the state of Victoria, Australia, with follow-up to 2018.

METHODS

Latent Class Growth Analysis was conducted using linked data from homelessness data collections, child protection, mental health information systems, alcohol and drug use, and youth justice information systems.

RESULTS

Three sub-groups of young people were identified. The 'moving on' group (88 %) had the lowest levels of homelessness, with the slope of this trajectory remaining almost stable. The 'survivors' (7 %) group started off with a high risk of homelessness, followed by a sharp decrease in homelessness risk over time. The 'complex' (5 %) group started off with a low risk of homelessness but faced sharp increases in the risk of homelessness over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates that subgroups of young people transitioning from care exist with distinct longitudinal trajectories of homelessness, and these classes are associated with different risk factors. Early intervention and different approaches to tackling homelessness should be considered for these three distinct groups before transitioning from care and during the first few years after leaving care.

Patterns of homelessness and housing instability and the relationship with mental health disorders among young people transitioning from out-of-home care: Retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data

Objectives

The study examined the relationship between mental health, homelessness and housing instability among young people aged 15–18 years old who transitioned from out-of-home in 2013 to 2014 in the state of Victoria, Australia with follow-up to 2018. We determined the various mental health disorders and other predictors that were associated with different levels of homelessness risk, including identifying the impact of dual diagnosis of mental health and substance use disorder on homelessness.

Methodology

Using retrospective de-identified linked administrative data from various government departments we identified various dimensions of homelessness which were mapped from the European Topology of Homelessness (ETHOS) framework and associated mental health variables which were determined from the WHO ICD-10 codes. We used ordered logistic regression and Poisson regression analysis to estimate the impact of homelessness and housing instability respectively.

Results

A total homelessness prevalence of 60% was determined in the care-leaving population. After adjustment, high risk of homelessness was associated with dual diagnosis of mental health and substance use disorder, intentional self-harm, anxiety, psychotic disorders, assault and maltreatment, history of involvement with the justice system, substance use prior to leaving care, residential and home-based OHC placement and a history of staying in public housing.

Conclusions

There is clearly a need for policy makers and service providers to work together to find effective housing pathways and integrated health services for this heterogeneous group of vulnerable young people with complex health and social needs. Future research should determine longitudinally the bidirectional relationship between mental health disorders and homelessness.

Research using population-based administration data integrated with longitudinal data in child protection settings: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Over the past decade there has been a marked growth in the use of linked population administrative data for child protection research. This is the first systematic review of studies to report on research design and statistical methods used where population-based administrative data is integrated with longitudinal data in child protection settings.

METHODS

The systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The electronic databases Medline (Ovid), PsycINFO, Embase, ERIC, and CINAHL were systematically searched in November 2019 to identify all the relevant studies. The protocol for this review was registered and published with Open Science Framework (Registration DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/96PX8).

RESULTS

The review identified 30 studies reporting on child maltreatment, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse and education. The quality of almost all studies was strong, however the studies rated poorly on the reporting of data linkage methods. The statistical analysis methods described failed to take into account mediating factors which may have an indirect effect on the outcomes of interest and there was lack of utilisation of multi-level analysis.

CONCLUSION

We recommend reporting of data linkage processes through following recommended and standardised data linkage processes, which can be achieved through greater co-ordination among data providers and researchers.