ArticlePloS one2026
Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Role of Institutionalization in Interoception, Emotion Regulation, and Prosocial Behavior in Preschool Children.Brain sciences · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChildren placed in out-of-home care in high-income countries face complex challenges due to exposure to adverse childhood experiences and systemic disadvantages. While research on their outcomes has grown, the evidence base remains fragmented. An overview of review-level evidence was conducted to identify patterns, gaps, and priorities for future research and practice.
methodsA scoping review of reviews was conducted. Peer-reviewed review articles published between January 2013 and July 2024 were identified through searches in databases including EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Epistemonikos. Eligible reviews focused on childhood out-of-home care experience and reported outcomes for care-experienced individuals (assessed either in childhood or adulthood) and/or associated factors. Outcomes were categorised under the following domains: Health and Emotional Wellbeing (HEW), Physical and Legal Security (PLS), Education and Learning (EL), Living Standards and Social Wellness (LSSW), and Identity and Civic Participation (ICP). Factors were classified across multiple levels, including individual child-level, socio-relational-level, community-level, system-level, and other factors.
resultsA total of 77 reviews were included, spanning diverse methodologies and contexts. Research was concentrated in domains such as HEW and LSSW, with indicators such as mental and emotional health and attachment and behaviour functioning receiving substantial attention. Conversely, key gaps were identified, including the limited reporting of ICP outcomes (e.g., identity and self-respect). System-level factors, such as care quality and placement type, were most frequently reported across outcome domains and indicators. Individual child level and socio-relational-level factors were consistently highlighted, while community-level factors were largely underrepresented.
conclusionFuture research should target gaps in underexplored outcome domains like ICP and indicators such as bullying, mortality, and educational readiness. Community-level factors warrant more attention as they play a significant role in supporting transitions to independence and social integration.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.