Mortality outcomes of children and young people who have spent time in care: evidence from Children's Health in Care in Scotland, a population-wide administrative data cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Individuals who spend time in care during childhood/adolescence face a higher risk of premature mortality compared with those who have not been in care. However, it is unclear whether this risk applies to both external causes of death (eg, accident or suicide) and internal causes (eg, disease), as well as the role of potential confounders.

Design

A descriptive, population-wide cohort study linking administrative data on state school pupils in Scotland with social care records and vital event data for children and young people with (n=12 367) and without (n=6 49 711) experience of care.

Outcome

Premature mortality between 2010 and 2016.

Analysis

Poisson regression, with robust SEs, was used to calculate mortality rate ratios, adjusting for confounders

SUBMITTER: Brown D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12505078 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature