Table 4.
CIDI-Based Diagnoses of Foster Care Alumni
| Mental Health Diagnoses | NWAS (ages 20–33, Males and Females Combined) | Midwest Study (age 21) Past year (%)a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime (%) | Past year (%) | Females | Males | |
| At least one CIDI DSM-IV diagnosis | 54.4b | 22.1b | 14.2b | 4.6b |
| Alcohol dependence | 11.3 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 11.6 |
| Anorexia | 1.2 | 0.0 | — | — |
| Drug abuse | — | 12.3c | 1.9 | 5.8 |
| Drug dependence | 21.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 | 5.1 |
| Generalized anxiety disorder | 19.1 | 11.5 | 0 | 0 |
| PTSD | 30.0 | 25.2 | 7.9d | 3.8d |
| Sample size | 479 | |||
Notes: “—” indicates that the diagnosis was not assessed.
Midwest Study data have not been weighted for age, gender, race, or other variables to be equivalent to the NWAS so comparisons should be viewed with caution. Midwest Study data abstracted from Courtney et al. (2007, p. 46).
Comparisons of the Midwest Study data with the NWAS in terms of number of diagnoses must be made with caution, given that the NWAS measured more diagnoses. Lifetime diagnoses in the NWAS included alcohol dependence, anorexia, bulimia, drug dependence, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive episode, modified social phobia, panic syndrome, and PTSD. Past year diagnoses included all lifetime diagnoses, with the addition of alcohol problem and drug problem.
The NWAS measured drug problem.
PTSD diagnosis for the Midwest Study was indeterminate for 11 females and 10 males because of missing data.