Insecure housing, substance abuse, and incarceration among emerging adults aging out of foster care: Examining associations with legal orphan status

Abstract

Tens of thousands of youth age out of the foster care system each year without a permanent family, and many do so after having their parents’ rights severed through involuntary termination of parental rights. These legal orphans have no permanent supportive living situation and no legal relationship to their families, putting them at particular risk of poor developmental outcomes in emerging adulthood due to limited levels of social support. Despite rising concerns from practitioners and researchers, no empirical evidence exists showing potential implications of legal orphanhood. This study estimated a series of logistic regression models using linked administrative and survey data to determine whether one's status as a legal orphan was associated with increased odds of experiencing insecure housing, substance abuse, and incarceration when compared to other youth who have aged out of foster care. Results indicate that legal orphan status was associated with a 38 percent increase in the odds of experiencing insecure housing by age 21, even when adjusting for potentially confounding foster care experiences. Additionally, inequities in adverse outcomes were observed for young men and youth identified as being Native American and multiracial. Child welfare system professionals should consider change strategies that mitigate the potential developmental harm of system-level and legal decisions for these subpopulations.