Mapping Educational and Career Pathways for Foster Youth of Color: An Egocentric Network Analysis

Background and Purpose:

Young adults of color remain overrepresented in the child welfare system in the United States. However, they do not represent the outcomes related to post-secondary degree attainment and employment after transitioning from the system into adulthood. While social support influences educational and career outcomes, little is known about which network characteristics and relationship types are most impactful. Relationship duration, geographic proximity, and contact frequency may shape whether members offer domain-specific guidance. This study examined how relationship characteristics influence academic and career support provision among foster youth of color transitioning into adulthood.

Methods:

In partnership with the Possibility Project, a nonprofit youth arts organization, twenty youths of color with foster care experience completed a social network survey in November 2020. Using a name generator, participants listed up to ten people they had discussed personal matters within the past month. For each alter selected, youth reported demographic information, relationship type, duration, contact frequency, and types of support received. A modified position generator assessed each alter’s employment status and connection to the youth. Youth also indicated whether alters knew each other and rated their satisfaction with their overall support system. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to analyze the likelihood of receiving academic or career support, accounting for clustering within networks.

Results:

The sample (N = 20) ranged in age from 18 to 30 (M = 23.65, SD = 3.95); 62% identified as female, 76% as Black/African American, and 29% as Latino/a. About one-third remained in care at the time of the study. On average, youth named five alters (M = 5.10, SD = 3.06), most of whom had been known for over five years. Friends comprised the largest share of network members (43.5%), while biological family members were less commonly reported (20.4%).

In the model predicting academic support, youth were significantly less likely to receive academic help from alters when youth contacted them only weekly (β = -1.39, SE = 0.44, p = 0.002) or from those who lived nearby (β = -0.63, SE = 0.20, p = 0.002). Younger participants were more likely to receive academic support (β = -0.29, SE = 0.08, p < 0.001). Mentors (β = 2.72, SE = 1.36, p = 0.045) and biological family members (β = 1.45, SE = 0.81, p = 0.075) were more likely than friends to provide academic support. For career development, mentors (β = 3.38, SE = 1.71, p = 0.047) and non-biological families (β = 2.19, SE = 1.03, p = 0.033) were the most significant sources of support compared to getting support from friends.

Implications:

Findings emphasize the important contribution of mentors and non-biological adults in achieving academic and career success. Although friends made up the largest percentage of networks, they were least likely to offer instrumental support. Interventions should promote diverse, multigenerational support networks with sympathetic adults outside of peers.