Adolescent Identity Development in Foster Care

Kools, Susan

doi:10.2307/585124

Cited by 137 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Studies suggest long-term foster care and multiple placements adversely impact ethnic identity development (Kools, 1997;White, O'Brien, Jackson, Havalchak, Phillips, Thomas, and Cabrera, 2008), and contribute to disconnection from family and significantly impacts self-identity (Kools, 1997). These findings imply the negative consequences of disconnection from culture, which is vital to the development of healthy sense of self, positive ethnic identity, and self-esteem.…”

Section: Negative Impacts Of Not Addressing Cultural Needsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Of those studies, Kools (1997) used intensive interviews, observation, and case records analysis to examine the experiences of 17 adolescents residing in group or family foster homes, and found that living in long-term foster care had a negative impact on the central process of adolescent identity development. This particular study addressed two important factors.…”

Section: Addresses Howmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Got Hair that Flows in the Wind: The Complexity of Hair and Identity among African American Female Adolescents in Foster Care

Dove

Michelle²

2000

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African American children are disproportionately overrepresented in the child welfare system. Many of these children linger in the system and experience disconnection from their biological families, communities, cultural beliefs, values, and practices. Participants also discussed their awareness of societal influences on their perception of African American women. They offered recommendations for improving the hair care ii experiences of African American children in foster care, for supporting positive development of identity and self-esteem, and for implementing standards of practice that will ensure these youths' cultural needs are addressed in the child welfare system.iii DedicationTo my loving great grandparents and grandparents, who planted multiple seeds in my life as a young girl, which helped me realize my potential.To my mother, Barbara Jackson, who has always believed in me and supported me unconditionally.To my father, Michael Mitchell, who promoted education and made tremendous sacrifices so I could pursue my academic goals.To my husband, Dennis J. Dove, who has supported me throughout my entire academic journey. For the countless nights I stayed up reading, studying, or writing a paper, while you cared for our children. For the numerous times I became frustrated and felt like giving up and you encouraged me to take a break, then get back to work… I thank you.To my children who bring immense joy to my life and teach me how to be a better person.

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Section: Negative Impacts Of Not Addressing Cultural Needsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Addresses Howmentioning

confidence: 99%

Got Hair that Flows in the Wind: The Complexity of Hair and Identity among African American Female Adolescents in Foster Care

Dove

Michelle²

2000

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“…Clarifying this distinction is important in that while studies indicate youth aging out of foster care increasingly report having some level of social support (Courtney, Dworsky, et al, 2010;Courtney et al, 2005), emerging evidence from qualitative research suggests that having a sense of belonging may be a more prevalent challenge for youth in and aging out of foster care (Mulkerns & Owen, 2008;Samuels, 2009). Early studies of adolescents in foster care uncovered reports of youth avoiding closeness with others and keeping relationships superficial in order to keep their status as a foster child private (Kools, 1997;. Feelings of loneliness are not uncommon upon exiting the system, and may be compounded by feelings of not belonging (Mulkerns & Owen, 2008).…”

Section: Social Capital Social Support and Belongingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Excessive restrictiveness in living arrangements and discontinuity of caregiving contributed to how youth thought about themselves, and many reported wondering if other people thought they "must be crazy" because they lived in a group home (Kools, 1997). Youth in Kools' and other studies (Fransson & Storø, 2011) interpreted the status of foster children as abnormal, bad, or damaged, and experienced difficulty in understanding "who they were" due to fragile or absent ties to their family and past, manifested in beliefs that they had few viable future opportunities (Kools, 1997). In a study of emancipated young adults attending college, many spoke of trying hard to fit in and "seem normal" around their peers.…”

Section: Intangible Resources: Adult Identity and Negotiating The Pasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the earliest studies on identity involved teens residing in foster care and revealed themes of a "devalued self" and perceived diminished social status from being a foster child (Kools, 1997). Excessive restrictiveness in living arrangements and discontinuity of caregiving contributed to how youth thought about themselves, and many reported wondering if other people thought they "must be crazy" because they lived in a group home (Kools, 1997).…”

Section: Intangible Resources: Adult Identity and Negotiating The Pasmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experiences of youth who transition to adulthood out of care: Developing a theoretical framework

Lee

Berrick

2014

Children and Youth Services Review

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Adverse adulthood outcomes are well documented among youth who age out of foster care. However, not all youth who age out of care experience deleterious adult outcomes, despite struggling with similar challenges during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Childhood maltreatment, which places youth at greater risk for later maladaptive functioning and psychopathology, may partially explain poor adjustment outcomes in adulthood. Similarly, a history of unstable placements and residing in institutional congregate care settings may also contribute to hardship during this time. However, none of these factors help to explain how some young people aging out of care manage to achieve stability while transitioning into adulthood. This article reviews the literature through the lens of the identity capital framework, and discusses the applicability of this framework to the experiences of youth aging out of foster care.

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Development of the Self

Spencer

Swanson

Harpalani

2015

Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science

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Conceptualized as having salience for well‐being, the social, economic and cultural realities and complexities evident in 21st‐century North America are seen as central foundational themes for understanding “the self.” This chapter offers and extends traditional considerations of self‐processes to include the implications of social inequalities experienced in the early decades of life. It does so by focusing on racial and socioeconomic inequities, along with social and cultural complexities that compound these inequalities. While researchers have conceptualized these inequities as having salience for well‐being, this chapter extends theorizing about the self to incorporate these themes. It integrates racial and socioeconomic inequity with traditional theories of self‐processes. Given the growing racial and ethnic diversity occurring across the world, there is a need for developmental psychologists—and social scientists more generally—to place racial and economic inequality at the forefront, even when studying self‐appraisals as an individual psychological phenomenon. This chapter draws from a life‐span developmental perspective, but it especially focuses on adolescence, when self‐consciousness is heightened and self‐processes are most salient. The breadth of normative developmental influences on self‐processes makes the exploration of cross‐domain manifestations, such as health, education, and juvenile justice, exceedingly important. Patterned disparities and assumptions about self‐processes are highlighted, particularly as relevant for diverse groups who share the same physical space. Self‐processes are discussed as they are linked to evaluative judgments about body image, color awareness, social status, nativity, faith group, and gender bias. All of these attributes impact the self as a function of the individual's developmental status. In light of these themes, this chapter examines historical perspectives regarding self‐development and presents contemporary conceptualizations of self‐processes with specific attention to race and gender as visible characteristics. It presents these issues are particularly salient particularly for youth, because they reinforce societal expectations that shape conditions for privilege or marginalization.

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Adolescent Identity Development in Foster Care

Cited by 137 publications

References 22 publications

Got Hair that Flows in the Wind: The Complexity of Hair and Identity among African American Female Adolescents in Foster Care

Got Hair that Flows in the Wind: The Complexity of Hair and Identity among African American Female Adolescents in Foster Care

Experiences of youth who transition to adulthood out of care: Developing a theoretical framework

Development of the Self

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