Voices of Foster Parents and Youth: Factors Associated with Optimal Functional Adaptation

Purpose: There is a dearth of research on the connection between foster parent characteristics and child outcomes (Orme & Buehler, 2001). A missing element in this body of literature is foster parent and foster children perspectives on how children achieve optimal functioning. This study explored adjustment and adaptation of foster children as it was described by young adults formerly in care and current foster parents. The aim of this study was to assess how foster parents facilitate the adjustment and adaptation of children in care.

Methods: This study used grounded theory methodology (Glaser, 1978; Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1998) to elicit a theoretical understanding of the day-to-day interactions between foster parents and children. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 foster parents and 7 young adults 18 to 22 years of age and formerly in care. Questions explored how foster parents help children adjust or adapt to being in care, factors that may mediate or moderate the influence of foster parents in children's lives, and the role of attachment in the adjustment and adaptation process. Analysis consisted of coding, creating categories, recording data analysis ideas on memos, and comparing and contrasting among the data until a basic social process (Glaser, 1978) of adaptation and adjustment was identified. The Atlas.ti software package was utilized for data analysis.

Results: Foster parents and young adults described the basic social process of adjusting and adapting through committed care. Several major categories emerged to further detail this theoretical model. Both foster parents and young adults reported that a welcoming and inclusive home environment, positive communication throughout community and family systems, and foster parent dedication to meeting children's needs such as coordinating mental health services or recreational activities, were conducive to optimal adaptive functioning. Foster parents and young adults also conveyed that other adults such as neighbors, coaches, and peers promoted adjustment. Foster parents suggested that rules and consistency helped achieve optimal functioning in the home. Young adults described an awareness over time that earlier rules and consistency in the foster home were beneficial. Foster parents reported that birth family adherence to the permanency plan or lack thereof fostered or hindered adjustment. Young adults appreciated it when foster parents worked with them on overcoming trust issues. In general, young adults expressed the desire for people to believe that they were worthy of the same talents and aspirations for success as any other children.

Conclusions and Implications: This study reveals the need for foster parents to use an array of skills to facilitate optimal adaptive functioning. Foster parents must build trust through commitment, consistency, inclusion, and dedication to identifying and meeting children's unique needs. Given that these characteristics may not be intuitive to foster parents, these skills should be developed through foster parent trainings and interventions. Current trainings address only some of these factors. A training agenda that incorporates the spectrum of foster parent skills is necessary. More research is needed to determine how these skills influence specific outcomes.