Only one prior study, the National Survey on Child and
Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW I), a nationally representative,
longitudinal study of children ages birth to 15 years, provided an
opportunity to examine MH problems in teens referred to child
welfare, regardless of their initial placement. Using these data,
Leslie et al. found that almost half of the 11- to 15-year-olds
indicated >1 MH problem, with 30-day rates of depression,
suicidality, and alcohol abuse of 13%, 7.9%, and 16.1% respectively
[12]. While this study evaluated children living in both out-of home
and in-home placements, only younger teens were
included in the NSCAW I cohort. Similar prevalence for MH
problems was reported by Orton et al. using NSCAW I data, who
also noted that 87% of teens remained at home [13].