Leadership

• Elizabeth Thomas, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
• Eugene Brusilovskiy, M.U.S.A, Caterina Roman, Ph.D. and Recai Yucel, Ph.D., Co-Investigators

Summary

Involvement in child welfare, juvenile justice, and/or public mental health systems during childhood and early young adulthood can lead to reduced community participation, mental health issues, legal troubles, and social isolation as individuals age. To improve services and systems, policymakers need to identify high-risk individuals and target interventions accordingly. However, there are gaps in our knowledge of who is most at risk for poor outcomes, suggesting that additional research is needed.

Research Questions

1. What distinct longitudinal trajectories of child welfare, justice, and public mental health system involvement exist for the sample before the age of 21 years? 
2. What between-group differences exist among the various trajectories in terms of system setting, demographic, and clinical characteristics?  
3. To what extent does trajectory group membership predict employment outcomes between the ages of 22 and 26 years?

Research Activities

1. This study uses administrative data to see how being involved in various systems affects job outcomes for young adults with mental health challenges who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It will use a statistical approach that profiles “developmental trajectories” of an outcome over age or time to examine the questions.