Application of the National Youth in Transition Database Outcome Data: A Scoping Review

Background and Purpose: The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 established the Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood to provide states with funding for programs to support youth as they transition from foster care to adulthood. Under the law, the Administration for Children and Families created the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), a data collection system for states to track youth who are receiving independent living services provided by states as well as youth demographic and outcome information. All states are required to obtain information on six outcomes by surveying youth in foster care on or around their 17^th birthday (baseline survey) and then again on or around their 19^th and 21^st birthdays (follow-up surveys). States collect outcome information from a new baseline cohort every three years and to date, four cohorts were eligible to complete the baseline and follow-up surveys since data collection began in October 2010. These cohorts include the 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2020 cohorts. Although NYTD outcome data has been collected for fifteen years, there has been no scoping review of the literature to assess how NYTD outcome data is being used. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to assess how NYTD outcome data has been applied since the inception of the database and identify gaps in NYTD outcome research.

Methods: Five databases, SocIndex with Full Text, Social Services Abstracts, PsycINFO, Family Studies Abstracts, and Google Scholar, were searched from January 1, 2010 to January 6, 2025, using the following keywords “National Youth in Transition Database” or “NYTD”. The search yielded 522 articles with 65 duplicates, leaving 457 included in the initial screening. After initial screening, 37 articles were included for a full-text review which resulted in 31 articles meeting the inclusion criteria.

Results: Most studies, 28 (90%), included only one NYTD cohort in the analysis, with the 2011 and 2014 cohorts included in research most frequently. Over half of the studies (n = 17) included all three waves in the analysis while close to one third (n = 10) included at least two waves. The majority of studies (n = 26) included another dataset in the analysis, most notably data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis System and the NYTD Service files. Frequent predictor variables included receipt of independent living services, parenthood status, diagnosed disability, and race/ethnicity. Frequent outcome variables included incarceration, substance abuse referral, employment, educational attainment, homelessness and parenthood status. Regression was the most common statistical approach applied, with over half of the studies utilizing this analysis.

Conclusions and Implications: Future research should focus on the most recent cohorts, 2017 and 2020, as these youth were in and/or transitioning out of foster care during the covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, more research should include comparisons between cohorts to see if there are improvements in outcomes from cohort to cohort. Finally, revisions to the NYTD survey should be considered to include more demographic information, such as gender identity and sexual orientation, to assess outcomes related to marginalized identities.