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Solvi AS, Råbu M, Røseth I. "You think lots of love will heal the child, but it requires a lifetime of patience". Foster parents' intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 154:106947. [PMID: 39018750 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Foster parents can be placed under significant demands when caring for foster children with extensive needs. Coming to terms with the challenges they have to face can be a daunting prospect. To examine foster parents' experiences is vital with a view to enhancing their resilience amid sustained demands and improving the professional support offered to them. OBJECTIVE This study explores foster parents' lived experience of caring for foster children with mental illness and attachment difficulties. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS Twenty-two foster parents, caring for foster children aged 2-17, were recruited from a mental health clinic providing assessment and treatment to children. METHODS In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological psychological approach. RESULTS Our analysis revealed four interrelated constituents describing the foster parents' experiences: 1) Wanting to help a child, 2) Adjustments were harder than expected, 3) Sacrifices and suppression of needs, and 4) Commitment and love mixed with ambivalence. CONCLUSION The findings highlight that being a foster parent for children with mental illness and attachment difficulties demands heightened patience, knowledge and understanding. It also involves a substantial emotional investment. This underscores the importance of addressing feelings of love, shame, and guilt in this context. Balancing the needs of the foster child with the well-being of the foster family can be challenging. Foster parents may need extensive support from professionals who are familiar with their unique circumstances to increase their feeling of self-efficacy and reduce ambivalent feelings regarding their role as caregivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anette S Solvi
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care, Telemark Hospital Trust, Skien, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway.
| | - Marit Råbu
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway.
| | - Idun Røseth
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care, Telemark Hospital Trust, Skien, Norway; Department of Psychosocial Health, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
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McLaren H, Patmisari E, Huang Y. Professional Quality of Life of Foster and Kinship Carers in Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States: A Scoping Review. TRAUMA, VIOLENCE & ABUSE 2024; 25:2390-2406. [PMID: 38041424 PMCID: PMC11155225 DOI: 10.1177/15248380231213322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Professional quality of life (ProQOL) refers to workers' subjective feelings associated with work involved in helping others who have experienced trauma. It consists of positive and negative aspects, that is, subscales of compassion satisfaction, and burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Foster and kinship caring inherently involves risks associated with exposure to the trauma responses of children in their care. This exposure can lead to poor ProQOL, carer attrition, and placement instability. While limited studies specifically explore ProQOL of carers, many studies have examined factors and interventions related to ProQOL. However, there is a lack of synthesis of these studies. To fill such a research gap, we undertook a scoping review of 70 empirical studies from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, published from 2012 to 2022 reporting on ProQOL, and its related factors and concepts. We applied a multilevel ecosocial construct to examine complex interrelationships between private and governance settings to better understand factors related to ProQOL of carers and interventions aimed to improve it in these dynamic systems. In our review, some studies showed positive outcomes for carers, such as reduced stress or burnout associated with training. However, there was insufficient attention to factors associated with ProQOL at relational and sociopolitical levels. It is crucial to improve carers' ProQOL or well-being to ensure their retention and placement stability. Long-term systemic improvements require interventions across different levels of the system.
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Fowler J, Day A, Phan V, Thompson J, Park S, Salazar A. National training and development curriculum training program impact on placement, permanency, and stability. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 149:106712. [PMID: 38401367 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Resource parent trainings are an important factor in caregiver readiness and retention, which can improve placement stability and permanency achievement for children and youth, especially those who are marginalized. OBJECTIVE Resource parents need access to evidence-based training programs attentive to caring for children and youth from a variety of diverse backgrounds. This study evaluates placement, permanency, and stability outcomes of children whose resource parents were trained in one such program: the National Training and Development Curriculum (NTDC). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Participants include adults who completed a resource parent training program (N = 3822) and children in their care (N = 2565) in the U.S. states of Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Missouri. METHODS This quasi-experimental study involved statistical testing of caregivers and children using AFCARS data. Propensity-score matching was used to control for differences in the child permanency analysis. RESULTS With a better understanding of the realities of fostering, NTDC participants were slightly less likely to foster after training (OR = 0.6; p < .001), self-selecting out before taking a child into the home. Those who did foster were more likely to foster a child who is a teen (OR = 1.4; p = .004), Asian/Asian American (OR = 3.8; p = .02), Black/African American (OR = 1.6; p < .001), or Hispanic/Latinx (OR = 1.7; p = .002). Children of NTDC caregivers entered legal adoptions (OR = 2.0; p = .003) and guardianships (OR = 2.9; p = .03) at higher rates than children of comparison caregivers, while rates of reunification (OR = 1.3; p = .11) were not statistically different. CONCLUSIONS Evidence points to the effectiveness of NTDC in preparing resource parents to provide care for a diverse range of children by age, race, and ethnicity, and for those children to achieve permanency.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Fowler
- University of Washington School of Social Work, 4101 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105-6250, USA.
| | - Angelique Day
- University of Washington School of Social Work, 4101 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105-6250, USA
| | - Van Phan
- University of Washington School of Social Work, 4101 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105-6250, USA
| | - Jenna Thompson
- Washington State University Vancouver Department of Human Development, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, Vancouver 98686-9600, WA, USA
| | - Sooyoun Park
- Washington State University Vancouver Department of Human Development, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, Vancouver 98686-9600, WA, USA
| | - Amy Salazar
- Washington State University Vancouver Department of Human Development, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, Vancouver 98686-9600, WA, USA
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Gibbs DJ, Ansong D, Brevard KC, Childs S, Francis AM. Improving Parenting Competency and Permanency Awareness for Kinship Foster Parents Through In-Service Licensure Training. CHILD & ADOLESCENT SOCIAL WORK JOURNAL : C & A 2022; 39:595-606. [PMID: 35400805 PMCID: PMC8985387 DOI: 10.1007/s10560-022-00844-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Child welfare jurisdictions increasingly place foster children with kinship foster parents as a means of meeting their need for stability, family connection, and behavioral and emotional support. However, the lack of financial and educational assistance provided to kin by child welfare authorities often undermines these caregivers' ability to provide effective and lasting care for the children in their homes. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to understand how formal training and licensure processes can aid kinship foster parents in facilitating positive outcomes for children and youth in the foster care system. Specifically, we investigated the barriers experienced by kinship foster parents while trying to access existing licensure-based training and supports, as well as the initial outcomes of a kin-tailored licensure training curriculum alternatingly administered in in-person and virtual delivery formats. Participants reported that incomplete or inaccurate communication about licensing processes, practical difficulties in attending training, irrelevant session content, and stringent licensing requirements acted as barriers to accessing these resources. However, participants in the kin-specific licensure training administered in this study reported high levels of learning related to key parenting competencies and increased awareness of kinship permanency supports, although these outcomes appeared to be less pronounced among those receiving the training in a virtual format. These findings suggest that researchers and policymakers should consider developing, implementing, and evaluating further initiatives to provide accessible and tailored supports to kinship foster parents as a means of improving outcomes for the children in their care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Gibbs
- School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro St, 27516 Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - David Ansong
- School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro St, 27516 Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Kanisha C. Brevard
- School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro St, 27516 Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Selena Childs
- School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro St, 27516 Chapel Hill, NC USA
- Present Address: Casey Family Programs, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Annie M. Francis
- School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro St, 27516 Chapel Hill, NC USA
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Miller JJ, Cooley ME, Mihalec-Adkins BP. Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on Parental Stress: A Study of Foster Parents. CHILD & ADOLESCENT SOCIAL WORK JOURNAL : C & A 2022; 39:147-156. [PMID: 33235406 PMCID: PMC7677097 DOI: 10.1007/s10560-020-00725-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The overarching purpose of this exploratory study was to understand how foster parents' parenting-related stress levels have changed over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the role of sociodemographic characteristics in exacerbating risk for increased stress. METHOD Participants were electronically surveyed about their pre- and post-pandemic parenting-related stress, using an adapted version of the parenting stress scale. RESULTS Nine-hundred and ninety foster parents (N = 990) participated in the study. Overall, foster parents reported significant increases along three specific domains of stress-namely, parenting stress, lack of control, and parental satisfaction (reverse-scored). Analyses for group differences on the post-only scores indicated that foster parents who are not married, or who report poorer mental health (i.e., "good", versus "very good" or "excellent") or financial circumstances (i.e., as indicated by not reliably having more income than expenses) may face increased risk for exacerbated stress during this pandemic. DISCUSSION Findings from this study indicate that parental stress-levels among foster parents have increased since the start of COVID-19. These findings are not only troubling for foster caregivers, but may also have implications for the youth in their care. Ultimately, results from this study indicate the need to better support foster parents, in general, and during public health crises, specifically.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Jay Miller
- Self-Care Lab, College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA
| | - Morgan E. Cooley
- Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, USA
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Chodura S, Lohaus A, Symanzik T, Heinrichs N, Konrad K. Foster Parents' Parenting and the Social-Emotional Development and Adaptive Functioning of Children in Foster Care: A PRISMA-Guided Literature Review and Meta-Analysis. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2021; 24:326-347. [PMID: 33590373 PMCID: PMC8131300 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-020-00336-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Children in foster care (CFC) are at increased risk for negative developmental outcomes. Given the potential influence of foster parents' parenting on the development of CFC, this literature review and meta-analysis provide an initial overview of how parenting factors in foster families relate to CFC's developmental outcomes. We aimed to explore (1) whether foster parents' parenting conceptualizations are related differently to various CFC developmental outcome variables and (2) how characteristics of foster parents and CFC moderate these associations. Following the recommendations of the PRISMA statement, we searched four databases in 2017 (with an update in May 2020). Forty-three primary studies were coded manually. The interrater agreement was 92.1%. Parenting variables were specified as parenting behavior, style, and goals and were distinguished further into functional and dysfunctional parenting. CFC development was divided into adaptive (including cognitive) development and maladaptive development. Meta-analyses could be performed for foster parenting behavior and developmental outcomes, as well as for functional parenting goals and maladaptive socioemotional outcomes in CFC. Associations between functional parenting behavior and adaptive child development were positive and negative for maladaptive child development, respectively. For dysfunctional, parenting effects were in the opposite direction. All effects were small to moderate. Similar results were found descriptively in the associations of parenting style and child developmental outcomes. We found similar effect sizes and directions of the associations between parenting behavior in foster families and the child's developmental outcomes as those previously reported for biological families. These findings provide strong support for the significant role of parenting in foster families regarding children's development in foster care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Chodura
- Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany. .,Department of Psychology, WU Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, University of Bielefeld, P.O. Box 10 01 31, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Arnold Lohaus
- Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Tabea Symanzik
- Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Nina Heinrichs
- Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Dept. for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany
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Brown J, Kapasi A, Weindels S, Eyre V. Needs of Foster Care Peer Support Volunteers. CONTEMPORARY FAMILY THERAPY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10591-019-09505-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Leathers SJ, Spielfogel JE, Geiger J, Barnett J, Vande Voort BL. Placement disruption in foster care: Children's behavior, foster parent support, and parenting experiences. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2019; 91:147-159. [PMID: 30889437 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The majority of children in foster care 24 months or longer experience three or more placements. Children's behavior problems are a primary contributor to multiple moves, but little is known about how behavior problems and other stressors lead to disruptions. This study focused on foster parents' experiences of parenting a child at risk for moves using the determinants of parenting model (Belsky, 1984) to identify potential correlates of difficult parenting experiences and placement disruption. OBJECTIVE To identify factors associated with difficult parenting experiences and placement disruption. PARTICIPANTS Foster parents (N = 139) caring for children age 8-14 in long term foster care with a history of two or more moves were randomly selected in a large Midwestern state in the U.S. METHODS Participants completed a 90-minute telephone interview (86% response rate). Placement moves were tracked prospectively for two years. Parenting experiences and disruption were analyzed using multiple and logistic regression. RESULTS Results support aspects of the determinants of parenting model. Behavior problems, children's risk to others, low support, and stress were significantly associated with more difficult parenting experiences (βs = .28, .22, .18, .19, respectively, ps < .05), and more difficult parenting experiences strongly predicted placement disruption (p < .01). Risk to others also predicted disruption before including parenting experiences, with this association becoming nonsignificant after including parenting experiences. Unexpectedly, African American foster parents had a higher risk for disruption, despite more positive parenting experiences. CONCLUSIONS These findings support attending to foster parents' parenting experiences, children's risk to others, social support and stress to better support placements of children at risk for disruption.
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Examining the Influence of Social Support on the Relationship Between Child Behavior Problems and Foster Parent Satisfaction and Challenges. CHILD & YOUTH CARE FORUM 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10566-018-9478-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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