| Title: |
Retaining Infants and Young Children Who Experience Transitions in Care in Longitudinal Studies of Child Health and Development: Considerations from the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Julie Poehlmann (ORCID 0000-0001-9249-2425); Elizabeth I. Johnson (ORCID 0000-0002-9768-3201); Pilar N. Ossorio (ORCID 0000-0002-3495-7375); Keisher Highsmith (ORCID 0009-0006-3716-6049); Brenda Jones Harden (ORCID 0000-0001-8349-0401); Mishka Terplan (ORCID 0000-0002-2489-2942); Pilar M. Sanjuan (ORCID 0000-0002-7939-0245); Lorraine McKelvey (ORCID 0000-0003-1592-9886); Claire D. Coles (ORCID 0000-0003-3399-6644); Barbara H. Chaiyachati (ORCID 0000-0001-7324-6245); Hon. Peggy Walker; Rebecca Shlafer (ORCID 0000-0001-7833-9053); Kaitlyn Pritzl (ORCID 0000-0003-2046-0461); Chandni Anandha Krishnan (ORCID 0009-0000-2041-2107); Stephanie Averill (ORCID 0009-0007-0641-7578); Samir Das (ORCID 0000-0003-2018-8760); Santiago Torres-Gomez (ORCID 0000-0002-5325-8852); Florence Hilliard (ORCID 0009-0009-4708-9421); Brian Gannon (ORCID 0000-0003-3131-5526); Wesley K. Thompson (ORCID 0000-0002-1148-1976) |
| Source: |
Infant Mental Health Journal: Infancy and Early Childhood. 2026 47(1). |
| Availability: |
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
20 |
| Publication Date: |
2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: |
National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS); National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: |
U01DA055352; U01DA055353 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires |
| Descriptors: |
Infants; Young Children; Child Development; Child Health; Child Care; Transitional Programs; Family Relationship; Foster Care; Longitudinal Studies; Cohort Analysis; Mental Health; Cognitive Development; Consent; Child Welfare; Diversity Equity and Inclusion; Documentation |
| DOI: |
10.1002/imhj.70057 |
| ISSN: |
0163-9641; 1097-0355 |
| Abstract: |
A transition in care (TIC) is a significant change in the primary adults who provide care for a child, involving a move to informal or formal non-parental care, including kinship and foster care. In this paper, we address three issues: (1) the theoretical and empirical reasons for retaining infants and children who experience TIC in longitudinal studies of child health and development; (2) the import of retaining infants and children who experience TIC in studies focusing on parental substance use; and (3) methodological strategies for following children with TIC. We discuss the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study as an example of how a large prospective longitudinal cohort study can retain children who experience TIC, describing strategies such as: (1) documenting the frequency and contexts of these transitions and their associations with child health, mental health, and neurodevelopment; (2) attending to consent and mandated reporting requirements; (3) being sensitive to state child welfare policies and practices; (4) addressing retention challenges; (5) focusing on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and (6) establishing methods that document transitions and flexibly follow children as they grow older. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Notes: |
https://hbcdstudy.org/data-sharing |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1493604 |
| Database: |
ERIC |