| Summary: | Background: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate mental illness of young people placed in foster care inSweden, here defined as the occurrence of psychological and psychosomatic health problems. Method: The study utilizes data from Sweden using a self-assesment form filled out by 27.439 pupils in year 9of compulsory school, using data from the years 2008 – 2018. Applying various forms of regression models, thisstudy empirically evaluates the risk of psychosomatic and psychological health complaints among adolescentsplaced in foster care compared to adolescents from other family types. Results: The study found higher odds for young people in foster care compared to young people in nuclearfamilies to have five out of six psychosomatic disorders and five out of six psychological disorders. When compared to youth living with single parents the results showed higher odds for three out of six psychosomaticdisorders and two out of six psychological disorders. Conclusion: Youth in foster care is a population more vulnerable to mental illness than youth in other familytypes. Professionals working with and for adolescents living in foster care need to actively pay attention to boththe psychosomatic and psychological indicators of mental health issues.
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