TABLE 3.
Demographics of Foster Care Subpopulation Taking Any Psychotropic Medication by Level of Concurrent Multiclass Psychotropic Polypharmacy
| Nonchronic Psychotropic Medication Usea (n = 775) | Single-Class Chronic Psychotropic Medication Usea (n = 458) | 2-3 Chronic Psychotropic Medication Classesa (n = 728) | 4-5 Chronic Psychotropic Medication Classesa (n = 131) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 10.15 (4.53) | 9.29 (3.58) | 11.74 (3.34) | 13.13 (2.89) | < 0.001 |
| Age group, years | < 0.001 | ||||
| 0-4 | 11.4 (88) | 4.8 (22) | 0.3c | 0.0c | |
| 5-12 | 53.9 (418) | 74.0 (339) | 57.2 (416) | 35.9 (47) | |
| 13-20 | 34.7 (269) | 21.2 (97) | 42.6 (310) | 64.1 (84) | |
| Sex (male) | 53.7 (416) | 62.2 (285) | 60.2 (438) | 71.0 (93) | 0.001 |
| Race | 0.003 | ||||
| White | 51.0 (395) | 51.8 (237) | 56.3 (410) | 65.7 (86) | |
| Black | 12.4 (96) | 9.6 (44) | 12.8 (93) | 9.9 (18) | |
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 10.3 (80) | 8.5 (39) | 5.4 (39) | 4.6c | |
| Mixed | 26.1 (202) | 29.5 (135) | 24.7 (180) | 19.9 (86) | |
| Unknownb,c | 0.3c | 0.7c | 0.8c | 0.0c | |
| Rural | 16.1 (125) | 14.2 (65) | 16.1 (117) | 10.7 (14) | 0.345 |
| Mean months eligible, mean (SD) | 11.55 (1.51) | 11.88 (0.68) | 11.91 (0.64) | 11.98 (0.15) | < 0.001 |
| Receiving psychotherapy | 36.5 (283) | 48.0 (220) | 61.4 (447) | 53.4 (70) | < 0.001 |
| Residence status | < 0.001 | ||||
| Own residence | 14.2 (110) | 49.7 (53) | 0.4 (62) | 35.7c | |
| Foster home | 49.7 (385) | 50.2 (230) | 51.1 (372) | 45.8 (60) | |
| Group home | 0.4c | 1.3c | 2.5 (18) | 3.8c | |
| Other | 35.7 (277) | 36.9 (169) | 37.9 (276) | 45.0 (59) | |
| Overweight/obese | 4.1 (32) | 2.4 (11) | 7.3 (53) | 12.2 (16) | < 0.001 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 0.7c | 0.2c | 0.8c | 3.1c | 0.004 |
| DCCI score, mean (SD) | 0.12 (0.37) | 0.13 (0.46) | 0.11 (0.34) | 0.11 (0.38) | 0.508 |
| Medication utilization | |||||
| ADHD | 57.7 (447) | 81.4 (373) | 86.1 (627) | 98.5 (129) | < 0.001 |
| Antipsychotic | 17.3 (134) | 10.7 (49) | 68.0 (495) | 99.2 (130) | < 0.001 |
| Antidepressant | 39.6 (307) | 26.0 (119) | 76.9 (560) | 97.0 (127) | < 0.001 |
| Mood stabilizer | 12.0 (93) | 6.1 (28) | 30.4 (221) | 83.2 (109) | < 0.001 |
| Anxiolytic | 24.0 (186) | 10.7 (49) | 19.2 (140) | 44.3 (58) | < 0.001 |
aAll values are % (n) unless otherwise indicated.
bThe 11 members of unknown race were excluded from the final regression model (Table 4).
cCell counts with less than 10 individuals were suppressed to protect patient privacy.
ADHD = attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; DCCI = Deyo Charlson Comorbidity Index; SD = standard deviation.