Extracurricular activity participation and educational outcomes among older youth transitioning from foster care

This study examined factors associated with extracurricular participation and whether participation in extracurricular activities is associated with completing high school and attending college among a sample of older youth transitioning from foster care (n = 312). Results indicated that better self-reported grades and greater educational aspirations were associated with extracurricular participation. Participation in extracurricular activities was associated with graduating from high school, but not starting college by age 19. Consistent with provisions of the Preventing Sex trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014, results suggest that efforts that make extracurricular participation a normative aspect of the developmental experience of foster youth are important for their educational well-being.     

Sibling relationships of youth in foster care: A predictor of resilience

Few empirical investigations have been conducted examining sibling relationships among youth in foster care, and even fewer have explored relationship warmth as a protective factor. With a sample of 246 youth from a non-profit organization's summer camp program, Camp To Belong, this study examined the association between a warm sibling relationship and resilience for youth in foster care. A warm sibling relationship significantly predicted individual resilience for both middle childhood and adolescence developmental periods. Younger youth with poorer sibling relationship warmth had lower resilience. The implications of these findings are important given that resilience is a factor associated with improved outcomes in the face of adversity. The promotion of sibling relationships, a readily available resource, can be drawn upon by those in clinical practice to improve outcomes for youth in foster care.     

Building evidence to promote educational competence of youth in foster care

Although the academic difficulties of students living in foster care are well documented, few studies have examined factors influencing academic achievement of youth in foster care. This article reports the results of a study of educational competence in a sample of 152 foster youth in one midwestern state. Using five standardized instruments, the study explored predictors of reading ability of youth in foster care. Multiple regression analyses indicated that four factors--aspiration for higher education, placement in kinship care, participation in extracurricular activities, and drug use--accounted for 39% of the variance in reading ability scores. The article discusses implications of these findings for practice, research, and policy development.     

The voices of youth formerly in foster care: Perspectives on educational attainment gaps

As a population, youth who experience foster care graduate from high school at rates well below their non-foster care peers (National Working Group for Foster Care & Education, 2014). A Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) study was conducted to better understand the perspective of former foster youth on the graduation gap and their experience in school. Analysis of focus group data revealed one overarching domain, emotional consequences, as well as seven additional domains that related to youths' experiences surrounding their educational attainment: resilience, basic needs, internalized messages about education, educational stability, consequences of school mobility, fastest or easiest positive exit from K-12, and recommendations from youth. This research highlights the challenges faced by 16 former foster youth, their perspectives regarding the need to raise expectations, and their suggestions for closing the educational attainment gap.     

Pregnancy risk among older youth transitioning out of foster care

Youth served in the foster care system have higher rates of pregnancy than general population youth; yet we have little information about risk and protective factors to target in order to prevent early pregnancy in this population. We assessed early pregnancy risk and protective factors known for general population adolescents for their relevance to youth in the foster care system. Using data from a longitudinal study of 325 older youth from the foster care system, we examined bivariate and multivariate relationships between these factors and pregnancy between ages 17 and 19 using logistic regression. Models examined the risk for early parenting separately by gender. The pregnancy rate increased by 300% between ages 17 and 19. At 19, 55% of females had been pregnant, while 23% of males had fathered a child. Although this study assessed multiple known factors, few were significant for this high risk group. Females who were not sexually active at age 17 were less likely to become pregnant, but those who reported using birth control were as likely to become pregnant as those who did not. Also, females with a history of arrest were more likely to have a pregnancy between 17 and 19. Males who left the foster care system before their 19th birthday were more likely to make someone pregnant. Youth from the foster care system are at exceptional risk of early pregnancy, regardless of their maltreatment history, religiosity, school connectedness, or academic achievement, particularly in the years between 17 and 19. This high risk group needs pregnancy prevention interventions and access to effective birth control.     

Natural mentoring among older youth in and aging out of foster care: A systematic review

Due to their histories of caregiver maltreatment, living instability, and potential attachment challenges associated with out-of-home care, older foster youth represent a particularly vulnerable group of adolescents at increased risk for a number of poor well-being outcomes. However, research supports the notion that a relationship with a competent, caring adult, such as a mentor, may serve protectively for vulnerable youth, and a nascent yet growing body of literature suggests that naturally occurring mentoring relationships from within youth's social networks are associated with improved outcomes among young people in foster care during adolescence and the transition to adulthood. This systematic review is the first to comprehensively identify, synthesize, and summarize what we currently know from nearly a decade of theories, concepts, and research findings pertaining to natural mentoring among adolescent youth in foster care. A bibliographic search of seven databases and personal outreach to mentoring researchers and practitioners through a national listserv yielded 38 English-language documents from academic sources and the gray literature pertaining to natural mentoring among older foster youth. We identified quantitative studies that have been conducted to test the theories and hypotheses that have emerged from the qualitative studies of natural mentoring among youth in foster care. Together, this literature suggests that natural mentoring is a promising practice for youth in foster care. Based on our findings from the systematic review, we make practice recommendations to encourage the facilitation of natural mentoring within child welfare contexts and outline an agenda for future research that more rigorously investigates natural mentoring among older youth in foster care.     

A systematic review of interventions to improve post-secondary educational outcomes among foster care alumni

In their transition to adulthood, youth who have aged out of foster care struggle in a variety of areas. One area of concern is achieving success in post-secondary education. In response, universities and community colleges around the country offer support programs for these youth, in order to assist them in gaining a college education. The purpose of this study was to utilize a systematic review process to uncover the current status of what is known about campus support programs for foster care alumni in two areas—student views of their program experiences and outcomes of interventions to improve post-secondary educational success. We adapted the Participants, Interventions, Comparison groups, Outcomes, and Study designs (PICOS) model in conducting the systematic review. A search of six electronic databases and other gray literature sources yielded seven articles. Results revealed valuable insight from students regarding the ways in which program implementation was beneficial, and highlighted important strategies future programs should consider. Further, findings of outcome studies are favorable. However, additional outcome evaluations are needed in order to validate and confirm their impact.     

Academic resilience and caring adults: The experiences of former foster youth

As a result of being removed from their homes and moving between different placements and schools, foster youth can experience high levels of stress and challenges as they struggle to cope with such extreme emotional turbulence. The experience of trauma and instability in turn, can have consequences on foster students' academic progress. As it is seemingly uncommon for foster youth to matriculate to postsecondary education, this study examines how successful foster youth transitioned out of care and furthered their education at an academically rigorous institution. From high-achieving former foster students, this study uncovers their experiences while in out-of-home care that helped them enroll in a university, including how adult supporters provided guidance, emotional support, and stability, which allowed students to move out of their negative past experiences. Adults' willingness to assist youth and be a part of their lives provided students with a transformative academic and social emotional environment, furthering their ability to persist through high school and gain acceptance to a top-tier university.     

(Micro)mobility,disability and resilience: exploring well-being among youth with physical disabilities

This paper explores the daily (micro)mobilities that youth with a visual or auditory impairment use to sustain well-being. Geographical research suggests that mobility is a universal phenomenon referred to the capacity to navigate one’s way through different spaces and places. Using a qualitative cross-cultural, visual methods approach to research with vulnerable youth, including four participants with visual or auditory impairments, we demonstrate that everyday patterns of (micro)mobilities through the youth’s home, school and community help disabled youth create pathways to resilience. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to services that promote resilience against ableist beliefs.     

Characteristics and trajectories of treatment foster care youth

Using cross-sectional analyses in conjunction with dynamic modeling (hierarchical linear modeling), the authors profiled 119 treatment foster care youth and constructed behavioral change trajectories for a subset of 97 children. Children generally showed improvements in internalizing and critical pathology problem domains but remained the same on measures of externalizing behaviors and total problem score. The number of previous out-of-home placements was positively associated with increased levels of psychiatric symptomatology and served as the most robust predictor for modeling treatment response trajectories across problem domains. Placement instability places the well-being of children at heightened risk, therefore, accurate assessment of child need and risk in relation to caregiver capacities is critical.     

Predictors for resolution of antisocial behavior among foster care youth receiving community-based services

Youth in the foster care system are more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness than those in the general population. Within this system, youth with antisocial behavior (e.g., aggressive, oppositional) are overrepresented. The challenges youth with antisocial behavior present to foster care systems make understanding the factors that predict remission in this population important for improving placement stability. Using Optimal Data Analysis (ODA), this study examines potential moderating effects of various individual, social, and strength variables on clinically significant decreases antisocial behavior in a sample of foster care youth over time. Results revealed positive improvements in youths' wellbeing to be the optimal predictor of resolution, followed by positive changes in family functioning and positive changes in adjustment to trauma (i.e., symptoms of PTSD). These results indicate that clinically significant decreases over time in antisocial behavior were associated with concurrent improvement in individual and environmental variables. Implications for service providers working with this population are discussed.     

Professional and youth perspectives on higher education-focused interventions for youth transitioning from foster care

Youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood access and succeed in college at much lower rates than the general population. A variety of services exist to support youth with their postsecondary goals, but few if any have evidence for their effectiveness. As part of a National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded intervention development project to design Fostering Higher Education, a structured, testable postsecondary access and retention intervention for youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood, focus groups were conducted with community stakeholders to collect recommendations for how to most effectively structure the intervention. Analyses of focus group findings resulted in four theme groups: (1) general recommendations for intervention development; (2) recommendations for an educational advocacy intervention component; (3) recommendations for a mentoring intervention component; and (4) recommendations for a substance abuse prevention intervention component. These themes offered a variety of important insights for developing interventions in a way that is usable for youth and feasible for communities to implement.     

Educational experiences and aspirations of older youth in foster care

This study documents the school experiences of 262 youth referred for independent-living preparation from the foster care system of one midwestern U.S. county. Of the youth, 73% had been suspended at least once since the seventh grade, and 16% had been expelled. In the past year, 58% had failed a class, and 29% had physical fights with students. Yet the group reported high educational aspirations: 70% wanted to attend college. Those in congregate care and family settings often had school behavior problems. The results support the need for a system of education advocates who work to maintain proper education placements for youth in foster care and help them receive the academic resources they need to graduate from high school and proceed to college.     

Sibling relationships and internalizing symptoms of youth in foster care

Compared to the sibling literature of the general population, little is known about sibling relationships of youth in foster care. The current study aimed to report on sibling relationships among youth in foster care, and investigate the potential protective nature of sibling relationships of those who have experienced trauma on the expression of internalizing symptoms among a nationally representative sample of 152 adolescents in foster care. Results indicated that the large majority of the sample was currently separated from their sibling. Of those who were not living with their sibling, nearly three quarters saw their sibling monthly or less frequently with one third of the sample reporting never having any contact with their sibling. In addition, bootstrapping methods were used to determine if sibling relationships mediated the effect of trauma on internalizing symptoms. Results indicated that a positive sibling relationship significantly mediated this relationship. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Perceived self-stigma in the utilization of mental health services in foster care and post foster care among foster care alumni

Foster youth experience higher rates of mental health disorders and receive higher rates of mental health services in comparison to the general population. Yet, upon foster care exit, mental health service use drastically declines. Little is known as to the reasons for mental health service decline after foster care exit. However, research studies in the mental health literature have consistently shown that self-stigma and public stigma are significant in mental health service receipt. Studies have also shown that self-stigma affects an adolescent's self-identity, self-efficacy, and interpersonal relationships, which impact self-sufficiency once youth leave foster care. This study explores self-stigma in the utilization of mental health services while in foster care, and whether the stigma developed while in foster care impacts mental health service use upon foster care exit. The role of public stigma in the utilization of mental health services post foster care is also examined. Thirteen former foster youth with a mental health treatment history while in foster care were interviewed. Results show that foster youth experienced self-stigma, which increased the negative impact of mental health service receipt while in foster care. After foster care exit, youth who identified experiencing self-stigma while in foster care tended to discontinue mental health services after foster care exit. In contrast, foster youth who did not identify self-stigma in the receipt of mental health services while in foster care continued accessing services upon foster care exit. Public stigma was not identified as influencing mental health service use post foster care, but was coupled with negative labels, stereotypes, and negative perceptions. Implications for preventive and intervention measures are also discussed/proposed.     

Evidence-based treatments for trauma among culturally diverse foster care youth: Treatment retention and outcomes

This study describes the implementation of three evidence-based treatments addressing traumatic stress symptoms within a wraparound foster care program in Illinois. Child–Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) were implemented with a racially diverse sample of youth ages 3–18 at six agencies. Culturally sensitive adaptations were made to treatment approaches to improve client retention and outcomes. Data analyses revealed no racial differences in retention in the program and no differences in outcomes between minority youth exposed to the intervention and other participants. All three evidence-based treatments were effective in reducing symptoms and improving functioning among minority youth. Implementation issues, including challenges and culturally competent accommodations, are discussed.     

An examination of post-secondary retention and graduation among foster care youth enrolled in a four-year university

This study uses administrative data from Michigan State University to examine whether students who are former foster youth are more likely to drop out of college than low-income, first generation students who had not been in foster care. Former foster youth were significantly more likely to drop out before the end of their first year (21% vs. 13%) and prior to degree completion (34% vs. 18%) than their non-foster care peers. This difference remained significant even after controlling for gender and race.     

Developmental outcomes among Korean adolescents in out-of-home care: A longitudinal study comparing kinship foster care and institutional care

Kinship foster care has recently become the new main form of Korean out-of-home care, and has reached similar usage proportions as the more traditional form, institutional care. To compare the effectiveness of the two care types, we focused on adolescents' developmental outcomes. We also examined changes over time in the outcomes and group differences in the changes. We analyzed five-year longitudinal data from 244 adolescents who participated in the Panel Study on Korean Children in Out-of-Home Care. A repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used as the major analytic method. The study results revealed that the kinship group was better off at the baseline for covariates than was the institution group for almost every development measure. However, the group differences observed at baseline disappeared or reversed in direction, which indicated better longitudinal outcomes for the institution group. In terms of changes over time, self-esteem and delinquency of all adolescents, no matter to which group they belong, changed in a positive way. However, there were no group differences in the patterns of changes. Based on these results, we discuss the limitations of the Korean out-of-home care system, such as the lack of assessment and monitoring, and support for kin caregivers.Ethical approvalWe obtained informed consent from the participating adolescents and Sookmyung Women's University IRB (the first through the third wave panel research) and Ewha Womans University IRB (the fourth and the fifth wave) approval before we began this research.     

Continuity of care for youth in foster care with serious emotional disturbances

Continuity of mental health care has long been considered an essential component to the delivery of a high-quality mental health services, particularly for children with special needs. Unfortunately, discontinuities in care are common for children in foster care due in part to placement instability, disruptions in health coverage, and the fragmented health system. This retrospective cohort study examined factors associated with continuity of care for youth (aged 5–17 years) in foster care diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Information on individual-level (demographic and clinical characteristics) and contextual-level variables (county socio-demographic and health care resources) were abstracted from Medicaid claim files and the Area Resource File. Continuity of care was defined as regularity of care—utilization of at least one outpatient mental health visit per month during the year. Multilevel modeling was used to assess the association between individual and contextual-level variables and continuity of care. Of the 952 youth in the study sample, 439 (46.1%) received regular monthly outpatient visits over the 1 year follow-up period. The odds of receipt of regular outpatient treatment were associated with prior outpatient care (odds ratio (OR): 7.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.60–21.20), the presence of a chronic medical illness (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 0.98–2.16), comorbid anxiety (Or: 1.76, 95% CI 1.22–2.53), or conduct disorder (OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.13–2.18), and the use of multiple psychotropic medications as compared to no medications (OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.08–2.23). The odds of receiving regular outpatient treatment were higher for youths who resided in suburban areas as compared to metropolitan areas (OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.04–3.73) and for those who resided in areas with greater supply of psychiatrists per capita (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.02–1.45). Study findings underscore the need for quality improvement initiatives that improve access to care, care coordination, and continuity of care.