Adverse Family Experiences Among Children in Nonparental Care, 2011–2012

A new NCHS report presents estimates of the proportion of children who have experienced selected adverse family events by the number of biological parents in the household, with a focus on comparisons among subgroups of children in nonparental care defined by caregiver type.

Key Findings from the Report:

• Children in nonparental care were 2.7 times as likely as children living with two biological parents to have had at least one adverse experience,and more than 2 times as likely as children living with one biological parent and about 30 times as likely as children living with two biological parents to have had four or more adverse experiences.
• More than one-half of children in foster care had experienced caregiver violence or caregiver incarceration and almost two-thirds had lived with someone with an alcohol or drug problem.
• Estimates for children in other nonparental care subgroups were lower than for foster care,but still elevated above those of children living with biological parents.