Suicide Ideation, Depressive Symptoms, and Out-of-Home Placement Among Youth in the U.S. Child Welfare System

The objectives of this study were to describe the association between type of placement, depressive symptoms, and suicide ideation among a sample of youth (7 years and older) as they entered the child welfare system and to examine the longitudinal effect of prior out-of-home placements and prior depressive symptoms on subsequent suicide ideation among these at-risk youth. Results supported a statistically significant association between prior depressive symptoms and subsequent suicide ideation, after adjusting for prior suicide ideation and prior out-of-home placements. Tests of mediation supported the role of prior depressive symptoms as a mediator between prior out-of-home placements and subsequent suicide ideation. These results suggest that youth who enter the child welfare system and are put in an out-of home placement may be at an increased risk for depressive symptoms, which in turn may increase their risk for suicide ideation.