Understanding the Strengths Foster Parents Use to Cope with the Challenges of Fostering

Foster families are an essential resource to the child welfare system, providing safe and stable homes for children who have been abused and neglected (Cooley & Petren, 2011). Fostering has numerous internal rewards, however can also be stressful and thankless (Wilson, Sinclair, & Gibbs, 2000). Foster families face personal and systemic challenges when opening their homes to children who exhibit difficult behaviors, stressful adjustment periods, medical issues and mental health struggles (Marcellus, 2010). These challenges can result in families closing their license (AZDES 2013-2014), an issue of utmost concern as there remains a constant need for more foster parents to meet the needs of the number of children in care (Rork & McNeil, 2011).

This paper explores the accounts of foster parents who demonstrate resiliency to understand what challenges they face and the family strengths they use to effectively cope with challenges. Participants, drawing upon their experiences, offer suggestions to other foster parents regarding effective ways to cope with the challenges of fostering.

Twenty foster parents were invited to participate in 2 in-depth narrative interviews that sought to understand what protective factors helped them to sustain an extended time in fostering. The study utilized purposive sampling to recruit the 20 actively licensed foster families in Arizona. The sample was diverse across multiple categories including family structure, racial/ethnic identity, size of family, and geographic location. The interviews were conducted by four researchers with experience working with foster parents and with qualitative interviewing. Initial interviews ranged from 40 to 136 minutes, were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed in NVivo10. Data analysis was completed using thematic analysis. Each interview was coded independently by two researchers. Sub-codes were identified through research team debriefing. Strategies to enhance trustworthiness of the findings included keeping an audit trail, reflexivity, triangulation by observer, peer debriefing, and a member check. Ten themes emerged as family strengths that contributed to the resilience of the foster families. In addition, the theme of challenges was identified.

Analysis of the data revealed that despite the unwavering commitment to providing care to children in foster care, the foster families in the study experienced extensive challenges. For example, participants identified challenges with: the system; with experiencing extremely difficult emotions; with managing difficult behaviors of children; with feelings of being devalued or misunderstood; with the lack of support they received; and with the lack information provided to them about the children in their care. In reaction to these challenges, the foster parents in the study demonstrated highly effective and sometimes creative coping skills such as: use of humor; demonstrating self-efficacy; building support systems; devising effective communication strategies; and use of emotional boundary setting.

The findings provide for a clearer understanding of the challenges that foster families face. Social workers, armed with this knowledge can be better prepared to support and nurture this vital resource. Additionally, the findings connecting coping skills to the challenges faced provide guidance and tangible strategies to other foster parents facing the similar challenges.