The Impact of Early Childbirth on Socioeconomic Outcomes and Risk Indicators of Females Transitioning Out of Foster Care

Few studies have documented the relationship between early childbirth and the adjustment of females transitioning out of foster care. In this study, data from the National Youth in Transition Database were used to evaluate the associations between childbirth at three time points (prior to age 17, ages 17–19, and ages 19–21) and females’ socioeconomic outcomes and risk indicators at age 21 (n = 3173). Findings revealed that over 40% of females had given birth at least once by age 21, with a substantial increase in birth rates from adolescence to early adulthood. Multivariate analyses showed that childbirth between ages 17 and 19 and between ages 19 and 21 was associated with decreased likelihood of obtaining a high school diploma/GED or higher. However, only most recent childbirth (between ages 19 and 21) was associated with decreased likelihood of employment and increased likelihood of receiving public assistance. Contrary to the hypothesis, childbirth was unrelated to homelessness, substance abuse referrals and incarceration at age 21, once earlier presence of such risks was taken into account. Overall, while childbirth between ages 19 and 21 was linked to negative socioeconomic outcomes as females entered young adulthood, earlier births did not appear to confer a unique, prospective risk for the majority of the variables studied. These findings underscore the importance of expanding specialized services designed to promote educational and vocational opportunities for young mothers transitioning out of foster care, especially in the first years following childbirth. The importance of targeting foster youth for pregnancy prevention programs will also be discussed

Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going? A Conceptual Framework for Child Advocacy

The primary goal of this article is to chart the development of child advocacy as an interdisciplinary field of study and conclude with a conceptual framework for research and higher education in child advocacy. Historically, child advocacy has justifiably focused on protection needs. Values and assumptions about children\u27s best interest have also governed child advocacy, in part because evidence to inform decisions was lacking and in part because of its history as an activist movement. Against this historical backdrop, we describe contemporary trends in child advocacy that reconcile children\u27s protection with their inherent rights to personhood. We rely on the principles and articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, most notably children\u27s rights to participation and self-expression. At the same time, we demonstrate how values and ideology are being integrated with empiricism and objective analysis to inform policy and practice in child advocacy. The future of child advocacy depends on continued synthesis of rights and protection as well as values and rigorous analysis. From this perspective, we offer a conceptual framework for research and education in child advocacy

Experiences of young parents with foster care backgrounds during the COVID-19 pandemic: Brief report

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique challenges to parents of young children due to the closure of schools and childcare centers and increased caregiver burden. These challenges may be especially pronounced for youth with foster care backgrounds, as they often lack family supports and other critical safety nets. This multi-method qualitative study aimed to explore the unique experiences of parenting foster care alumni during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study included 26 young parents ages 18-26, who participated in in-depth interviews or Photovoice sessions between January and March 2021. A structured thematic analysis approach was used to examine youths` accounts. Findings indicated that young parents with foster care backgrounds faced significant challenges due to COVID-19, and often struggled to access critical resources and supports. Implications for policy and practice are discussed below.Annie E. Casey Foundatio

Relationships Between Delinquency and Substance Use Among Adolescents Emancipating from Foster Care

Adolescents emancipating from foster care exhibit high rates of both delinquency and substance use, although it is less clear how these behaviors relate to one another. We aimed to examine the reciprocal relationships between these risk behaviors while accounting for relevant child welfare factors. We use data from the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs to explore longitudinal associations between delinquent behaviors and substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) among youths ages 17 and 18 (N = 429). Delinquency at age 17 was a positive predictor of substance use at age 18, after controlling for baseline use of substances. In contrast, substance use at age 17 was not predictive of increased delinquency at age 18 after baseline delinquency was controlled. Findings indicate that among youths emancipating from the foster care system, delinquent behavior might increase vulnerability for future substance use, as opposed to the latter

Brief Report: Perspectives of Foster Care Alumni on COVID-19 Vaccination: Key Findings and a Call to Action

The United States recently surpassed 32 million cases and 570 thousand deaths due to COVID-19. Vaccination of the general population is critical to ending the pandemic, and several highly effective vaccines have now received emergency FDA approval. Young adults are a key group to target for vaccination, as they may be asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 and unknowingly spread the virus to others. However, recent research suggests that young adults have concerns about COVID-19 vaccination, particularly if they belong to racial and ethnic minority groups or other marginalized populations. Young people with foster care backgrounds are predominantly Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and their hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccination may be exacerbated by public systems mistrust and ineffective messaging channels. To better understand vaccination attitudes among this population, we conducted focus groups and individual interviews with 23 young people ages 18 to 26 who had recently aged out of foster care. All young people in our sample were parents of young children; thus, their attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination have relevance for their own as well as their children’s likelihood of getting vaccinated. As part of this project, participants described their attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and their reasoning for either accepting or declining a vaccine. Interview audio files were transcribed verbatim and rigorously analyzed using a structured approach to thematic analysis.This study was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The views expressed in this report are the authors’; the Annie E. Casey Foundation bears no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented in this report

Resilient outcomes among youth aging-out of foster care: Findings from the National Youth in Transition Database.

The period of transition from foster care to independent living is frequently associated with poor outcomes. While some studies have conveyed patterns of resilience among transition-age foster youth, additional research is needed to examine its stability over time. The present study used data from the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) to examine the rates and stability of positive, or “resilient” outcomes among foster youth at ages 19 and 21 (N = 4,631). We included domains such as education, employment, and risky behaviors in our assessment of resilient outcomes. About 40% of youth met the criteria for resilience at ages 19 and 21 (i.e., “sustained resilience” group), an additional 28% met the criteria for resilience at one time point only (i.e., “periodic resilience” group), and 30% did not meet the criteria for resilience at any point (i.e., “sustained non-resilience” group). Several risk, protective, and child welfare factors were associated with manifestations of resilient outcomes during the period of transition to adulthood. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed

Smoking Behaviors among Adolescents in Foster Care: A Gender-Based Analysis

Background and objectives: Adolescents in foster care are at high risk for cigarette smoking. However, it is not clear how their smoking behaviors vary by gender. The present study examined lifetime and current smoking among males and females, and explored gender-specific risk factors for engagement in smoking behaviors. Method: Data from the Multi Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs was used to evaluate patterns of smoking among adolescents aged 12–18 years (N = 1121; 489 males, 632 females). Results: Males and females did not differ significantly in rates of lifetime and current smoking, or in the age of smoking initiation and number of cigarettes smoked on a typical day. Gender-based analyses revealed that older age and placement in group homes or residential treatment facilities were associated with heightened risk of smoking among males. In contrast, sexual minority status (i.e., nonheterosexual orientation) and increased childhood victimization were associated with heightened risk of smoking among females. A history of running away was linked to smoking in both genders. Conclusion: Gender should be considered when designing intervention programs to address cigarette smoking among foster youth, as the stressors associated with smoking may differ for males and females

“It’s just hard reaching out”: Factors affecting help-seeking behaviors among independent college students.

Foster care alumni and other independent students experience considerable difficulties in pursuit of higher education, due to a lack of family support, financial problems, and the impacts of their experiences of maltreatment and system involvement. Nonetheless, many of these students are reluctant to reach out for help when they encounter academic or personal challenges. The purpose of the present study was to examine factors affecting help seeking behaviors among foster care alumni and other independent students enrolled in a four-year university. We conducted in-depth, individual interviews with 23 independent students ages 18-23, as well as 5 university staff connected to a campus-based support program serving these students. Thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews pointed to a range of individual, interpersonal, and institutional factors affecting students’ willingness to seek assistance on the college campus, with students’ perspectives sometimes diverging from staff’s perspectives. These findings may inform the development of effective campus-based services and supports for independent students enrolled in higher education institutions

Storms and blossoms: Foster care system alumni parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic

PhotoVoice project photobookOur team conducted this PhotoVoice project from January to March 2021. Parenting foster youth and foster system alumni aged 18-26 met for three sessions to use photography to explore their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This photobook was designed as a keepsake for PhotoVoice group participants to be able to share their photographs, experiences, captions, and stories with one another as well as with researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. Names used in the book are pseudonyms.Annie E. Casey Foundatio

Resilience among youth emancipating from foster care: cumulative risk and protection and their relationship with positive adaptation

Research on youth emancipating from foster care typically emphasizes risk and maladaptation among this vulnerable population. Few studies examine competent, or resilient, functioning among these youth, and the factors that enable them to succeed. The primary goal of the present study was to explore how accumulation of risk and protective factors contributed to resilient functioning among youth leaving foster care in one state. Specifically, this research aimed to examine whether cumulative risk and protection independently affected resilience, or whether the impact of protection was contingent upon the level of risk. This study utilized data from the Mental Health Service Use of Youth Leaving Foster Care (VOYAGES) study, a longitudinal cohort study of older youth in the custody of the Missouri Children’s Division. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the study hypotheses. Results indicated that resilience was a common occurrence among youth in this sample. Specifically, 81% exhibited resilience in the domain of mental health; 70% exhibited resilience in the domain of substance use; 78% exhibited resilience in the domain of criminal involvement; and 67% reported being employed or at school. Furthermore, over two-thirds of the youth exhibited resilience in at least three of the above mentioned domains. Females, and youth who were still in foster care at age 19, were more likely to exhibit resilient functioning. Further analyses revealed that higher cumulative risk was associated with decreased likelihood of resilience in the domains of mental health and substance use, but not in the domain of criminal involvement. In contrast, higher cumulative protection was associated with increased likelihood of resilience in the domain of substance use, but not in the domains of criminal involvement and mental health. When youth overall resilience was examined, both cumulative risk and cumulative protection presented a significant contribution in the predicted direction. However, there was no evidence that the impact of protection on resilience was contingent upon the level of risk. These results emphasize the differential impact of risk and protection on different aspects of youth functioning, and support the need for specificity in resilience research.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Svetlana Shpiege