Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Foster Parents

Background: Child welfare systems have been urged to improve and support the well-being of child welfare professionals (Clark, 2024; Lizano, 2021). Child welfare workforce well-being has been conceptualized as holistic and inclusive of multiple domains including physical, social, and psychological well-being (Lizano, 2021). While scholarship examining professional well-being is burgeoning in child welfare systems, very few studies have examined these outcomes among foster parents, who also provide professional services requiring ongoing certification, training, and for which they are paid. However, unlike other professional roles, foster parent caregiving duties permeate throughout various aspects of their lives and have been described as requiring “24-7” attention (Dowdy-Hazlett & Clark, 2023). Initial evidence suggests that foster parents experience severe and prevalent secondary traumatic stress (STS; Ottoway & Selwyn, 2016; Whitt-Woosley et al., 2020; McLaren, 2024) and burnout (McLaren, 2024). Further, some suggest that foster parents have high levels of compassion satisfaction (Whitt-Woosley et al., 2020). However, few studies have examined factors that are associated with these well-being outcomes among foster parents. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate demographic characteristics, stressors, and supports and their association with STS, burnout, and compassion satisfaction among foster parents.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed, and a survey was sent to licensed foster parents recruited through licensing agencies and online support groups. Measures included the Satisfaction with Foster Parenting Inventory (SFPI; Stockdale et al., 1997), the Parenting Stress Scale (PSS; Berry & Jones, 1995), the Social Provisions Scale (SPS; Cutrona & Russell, 1987), the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI; Robinson et al., 1980) and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL-IV; Stamm, 2005) scale. Three regression analyses were specified to explore associations in foster parent demographics (e.g., income, age, and number of years fostering), child behavior, social support, foster parent satisfaction, and parenting stress with burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction.

Results: Lower-earning (t = -2.17, p = .03, 95%CI: .12, 2.39), younger foster parents (t = -2.30, p = .02, 95%CI: -.11, -.01) and those with fewer social supports (t = -5.41, p <.001, 95%CI: -.24, -.11), and higher parenting stress (t = 9.94, p <.001, 95%CI: .26, .39) had higher burnout scores. Foster parents who were younger (t = -2.52, p = .01, 95%CI: -.17, -.02), had fewer social supports (t = -2.02, p =.04, 95%CI: -.18, .00), higher parenting stress (t = 4.44, p <.001, 95%CI: .11, .29) and perceived higher intensity of child behaviors (t = 3.20 p =.01, 95%CI: .01, .05) behaviors had higher secondary traumatic stress scores. Higher compassion satisfaction was associated with foster parents with higher social support (t = 2.19, p =.03, 95%CI: .01, .15) and lower parenting stress (t = -8.47, p <.001, 95%CI: -.37, -.23).

Conclusion: Findings from this study highlight the importance of strengthening foster parent well-being to achieve positive outcomes for children. Child welfare partners often overlook the needs and mental health of foster parents, which directly impacts the well-being of the youth the system serves. Implications and recommendations will be discussed.