Foster Care and Child Maltreatment Mortality Rates in the US.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Approximately 2000 children die each year of child abuse and/or neglect. Foster care is designed as a targeted intervention to reduce harm to children, but its association with child maltreatment mortality is not well understood.

Objective

To examine whether foster care entry rates are negatively associated with rates of child mortality due to child abuse and/or neglect.

Design, setting, and participants

This cross-sectional study assessed associations between child maltreatment mortality rates and foster care entry rates at the state level using administrative data from all US states from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2023 (N = 700 state-years). Administrative records on all children in state-supervised foster care and all children whose death was attri

SUBMITTER: Edwards F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12754682 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature