Children's and Adolescents' Mental Health in Residential Youth Care Settings

Young people in residential youth care show a higher prevalence of mental problems than other children. This study gives an overview about the current situation of children and young people in the residential youth welfare service in Rostock (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany). In 2008 a similar study for the rural district Bad Doberan (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany) was conducted by Engel, Patow, and Hassler (2009). This research was carried out with two measuring times over a period of eight months starting 2010. 48 young people and their keyworker as well as teachers answered Achenbach's self- and third-party-assessment forms for mental problems. Furthermore the Barrat-Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and the Youth-Psychopathic Inventory were used to get information about traits of Psychopathy. The result showed that 51 % of the young people rated themselves as clinical relevant. Female probands reached higher scores than the male. The third-party assessment displayed 45 % in clinical scores. These scores, presented by a dimensional assessment, confirm the higher prevalence of mental problems in residential youthcare settings. A long term improvement of the life situation of psychological stressed children and adolescents, who are living in residential care homes, can only be achieved by an intensive cooperation of all the involved institutions and professions. The basis for this is the realisation of this necessity as well as the deduction and implementation of appropriate curricula, which imparts the required abilities needed for the conversion in the respective professions.