Resilience Among Former Foster Youth at 4-Year Colleges: A Latent Profile Analysis

Background:

Previous person-centered studies have highlighted intragroup differences among youth aging out of foster care (TAY). These studies point to groups of TAY who are faring as well as groups of TAY who are struggling. One subgroup of TAY considered to being doing well are those in college. There is increasing literature on the factors associated with college enrollment and persistence among TAY. However, no current studies adopt a person-centered approach to understand intragroup differences among former TAY in college. This study adopts a person-centered approach to elucidate unique subgroups of TAY in college based on a set of resilience factors associated with college success in this population. This information may help shape current programs designed to support former foster youth in college as well as inform an equitable and strategic allocation of funding to these expanding programs and services.

1. Are there distinct profiles of TAY in college who demonstrate unique patterns of resilience?
2. What demographic characteristics and early foster care experiences are associated with distinct profiles of TAY in college?

Methods:

Following IRB approval, the investigator invited foster youth attending a California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) to participate in the study survey. For youth who met eligibility requirements, they completed questionnaires on self-care, self-esteem and perceived social support. Demographic and early foster care information was also provided by participants.

A total of 221 TAY participated in this study (72% female). 42.5 percent of the sample identified as Latino/a and 15.5 percent identified as Black. 71.5 percent of the sample were enrolled in a CSU and 28.5 percent were enrolled in a UC.

Analysis:

For research question 1, a series of latent profile analyses (LPA) were conducted based on measures of self-care, self-esteem, and perceived social support. For research question 2, a series of chi-squared tests were used to determine how demographic characteristics and early foster care experiences were distributed across classes.

Results:

Four distinct profiles of youth were generated: Emerging Student (ES; 41.7%), Thriving Student (TS; 23.3%), Externally Integrated Student (EIS; 19.6%), and Well-Rounded Student (WRS; 15.3%). There were no significant age or gender differences across profiles but there were marginally significant racial differences across profiles. There were no significant differences in early foster care experiences across profiles.

Conclusions and Implications:

The unique profiles of youth generated in this study indicate that TAY in college are a heterogeneous group. Intragroup differences in their resilience suggest a need for further development of campus-based programs as well as a more strategic allocation of resources and financial assistance available to this population. Moreover, college campuses should begin to evaluate the efficacy and outreach of their foster youth programs. It is currently unclear the extent to which California foster youth students are involved in their campus-based support program, and their participation may depend on disclosure of their foster youth status in the Federal Student Aid Application (FAFSA) and/or campus application. Outreach to TAY in college is critical to ensure they have access to and utilize holistic supports to thrive.