Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Purpose: A positive future orientation (FO) has been shown to be linked to fewer risky behaviors and positive life outcomes among adolescents. Yet little is known about the potential benefit of a positive FO of youths in foster care. Reports by the Surgeon General's Conference on Children's Mental Health (1999), and the National Institute of Mental Health (2001) emphasized the need to understand the mechanisms of developmental outcomes in vulnerable youth. To address this knowledge gap, we examined the following questions: 1) To what extent does FO vary among youths in foster care? 2) What are the significant predictors and correlates of FO?

Methods: Data from this study were collected from baseline structured interviews of youths in foster care who participated in a larger study of an HIV prevention and life skills intervention program. The sample consisted of 350 adolescents in foster care, (160 males, and 190 females), ages 15-18 years (mean= 16.32; SD=.83). The racial makeup of the sample was 242 youths of color (mostly African American), and 108 Caucasian. FO was assessed using 11 items (4-point likert scale) from the Life Orientation Test (Scheirer et al., 1994) and the Consideration of Future Consequences Scale (Strathman et al, 1994). A total scale and 2 subscales were computed: Optimism and Pessimism. Other variables included: mental health (Achenbach's Youth Self-Report), childhood histories of abuse and neglect (Bernstein & Fink's Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), sexual and drug risk behaviors, and negative school behaviors.

Results: Findings indicated that there were variations in FO among youths in foster care, and the total scale and subscale scores were normally distributed (mean=31.63; median=31.00, SD=4.37); scores ranged from 15 to 44, out of a possible range of 11-44. There were no differences found in total FO scores according to race, sex and age. Adolescents with histories of childhood trauma (physical abuse and neglect, emotional abuse and neglect) reported significantly lower levels of FO. (p<.001) Likewise,youths with greater mental health problems such as internalizing (r= -.23, p<.0001)and externalizing problems (r=-.20, p<.01) reported lower levels of FO. FO was significantly associated with some risky behaviors, but not all. For example, positive FO was associated with fewer sexual risk behaviors (p<.05), and fewer school behavioral problems (p<.05). FO was also significantly associated with HIV-related cognitions; youths with a positive FO reported safer attitudes, greater self-efficacy, fewer risky intentions (p<.001), and increased knowledge of prevention (p<.01) than youths with a negative FO. Interestingly, FO was not significantly associated with alcohol and drug use.

Implications For Research and Practice: Although these data are cross-sectional, this study suggests a possible pathway of influence whereby trauma histories and mental health problems may lead to a negative FO, which may in turn, increase risky behaviors. This model of influence should be tested with longitudinal data. Practitioners working with these adolescents should consider targeting life orientation and life options as a strategy to reduce school behavioral problems, sexual risk behaviors, and HIV-risk cognitions.