This article from the Associated Press reviews some key findings from a recent analysis on foster care outcomes, compiled by researchers from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau. For this study, the researchers analyzed data collected in interviews with nearly 25,000 Americans ages 18 to 44 that were conducted from 2011 through 2017 as part of the National Survey of Family Growth. The study examines the impacts of foster care on people in the U.S. well into adulthood.
"Among its findings:
— Both men and women who had been in foster care were less likely than other adults to be married, and more likely to be cohabiting with a partner outside of marriage.
— Two-thirds of women who had been in foster care received some form of public assistance, compared with one-third of other women. Just over half of men who had been in foster care received public assistance, more than double the rate for other men.
— About 25% of men and 21% of women who had been in foster care did not have a high school or GED diploma, more than double the figure for other adults.
— Among men who had been in foster care, more than 34% lacked health insurance, compared with about 22% of other men. Foster care alumni also were more likely than others to be on Medicaid and to lack regular access to private doctor or a health maintenance organization.
— More than one-half of men and women who had ever been in foster care had engaged in their first sexual intercourse by age 15, compared with 28% of men and 25% of women who had never been in foster care.
— Among women who had been in foster care, one-half had given birth to a child by age 20; that compared with one-quarter of women who had never been in foster care."