Characteristics of Urban and Nonurban Youth Enrolled in a Statewide System-of-Care Initiative Serving Children and Families

Central goals of system-of-care initiatives for children and families have been to decrease the use of restrictive services while increasing the use of community-based resources. However, the menu of appropriate community services must in part be based on characteristics of children and families presenting within a particular community and may differ by urban and nonurban residence. The present study aimed to compare characteristics of child and adolescent clients from urban and nonurban communities in an attempt to begin to inform the development of appropriate community programming. Using intake data from all referrals to the 23 systems of care in Connecticut from July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2002, comparisons were made between youth from urban and nonurban areas. Analyses demonstrated lower rates of bipolar disorder, hospital and foster-home placement and higher levels of caregiver-reported intrapersonal strength and general child functioning among urban compared to nonurban youth. That these differences could not be attributed to correlates of urban residence, such as income, ethnicity, child poverty, high school dropout rates, and crowding, suggests the possibility that as yet unexamined variables might mitigate these risk factors. The continued examination of group differences meant to inform this important issue is warranted.