Are children and adolescents in foster care at greater risk of mental health problems than their counterparts? A meta-analysis

Dubois‐Comtois, Karine; Bussières, Ève-Line; Cyr, Chantal; St-Onge, Janie; Baudry, Claire; Milot, Tristan; Labbé, Annie-Pier

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106100

Cited by 47 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Parents adopting an authoritative parenting style usually display a more collaborative approach with children, as they tailor expectations on the children's characteristics [78,81]. This indeed favors children's greater regulation capacities, in terms of greater anger regulation and prosocial behavior [83], which is noteworthy considering that children within the foster care system usually present greater emotional disturbances [45,52,57,84,85]. Still, evidence was contradicting, as Fuentes et al [66] did not find an association between the authoritative parenting style and children's psychosocial problems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is worth noting that being in a committed relationship and showing cooperation within the parental couple [63,65,70] was associated with reduced parenting stress. Couples' cooperation allows the sharing of the burden and difficulties associated with the whole fostering situation as well as that associated with the rearing and supporting of foster children, who are likely to not only have already faced parenting challenges but also show increased emotional and psychosocial difficulties [45,52,57,84,85]. The reviewed literature does not allow one to draw sound conclusions on the differences between foster mothers and fathers; nonetheless, the general trend suggests that, although the parenting stress experienced by a partner might somewhat influence the other's [60,70], foster parents seemed mostly self-influenced [4,70].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further maladaptive parenting styles are the authoritarian and neglectful styles: The former is characterized by strict discipline and high demands but low levels of sensitivity and emotional support, whereas the latter is characteristic of parents who are neither emotionally involved nor set rules and demand discipline from children [41][42][43][44]. Bearing in mind the higher prevalence of psychosocial disturbances of foster children [23,29,45], research studies highlighted how more unfavorable parenting, characterized by harsh or inconsistent punishment and negative control, criticism and rejection, is associated with children's emotional and behavioral problems [38,39]. In this regard, it is noteworthy that Lamb [46] showed that children's adjustment is in little to no part determined by the family's structure or the biological relatedness to parents, but is instead consistently affected by the quality of both parenting and the relationship between parents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Systematic Review on Foster Parents’ Psychological Adjustment and Parenting Style—An Evaluation of Foster Parents and Foster Children Variables

Mancinelli

Dell’Arciprete

Salcuni

2021

IJERPH

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The current systematic review aimed to evaluate the variables influencing foster parents’ parenting stress, distress and parenting style, thereby supporting their adjustment and well-being as well as that of foster children. A PRISMA-guided search was conducted in three databases. Observational studies examining parenting stress, parenting distress (subsuming anxiety, depression and stress symptoms) and parenting style—all assessed through validated tools—were considered. A total of 16 studies were included, comprising N = 1794 non-relative foster parents (age range = 30–67 years). Results showed heightened parenting stress over time, both overall and compared to parents at large. Neither foster parents’ nor foster children’s socio-demographic characteristics significantly contributed to the increase in parenting stress; yet child-related stress and children’s externalizing problems were its main predictors. Foster parents’ couple cooperation was associated with reduced parenting stress. Moreover, the authoritative parenting style was associated with parental warmth, while the authoritarian style was associated with foster parents’ greater perceived burden, greater criticism and rejection toward the foster child. Evidence supports the mutual influence between foster parents and children. Foster care services should support foster parents’ needs within a concentric modular system, to ultimately provide better care for both foster parents and children.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Systematic Review on Foster Parents’ Psychological Adjustment and Parenting Style—An Evaluation of Foster Parents and Foster Children Variables

Mancinelli

Dell’Arciprete

Salcuni

2021

IJERPH

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“…Secondo la letteratura internazionale, i minori arrivano in affidamento con esigenze complesse, connesse a problemi comportamentali e di salute mentale, storie di collocamento frammentate, ritardi nello sviluppo e cognitivi, attaccamenti insicuri e disturbi cronici (Heather et al, 2014;Dubois-Comtois, 2021). Riportiamo nella Figura 10 i bisogni più frequenti rilevati nel campione in oggetto.…”

Section: (E) Esigenze Complesse Dei Minori Affidatiunclassified

L’affidamento familiare: le strategie educative elaborate dagli affidatari

Ricchiardi

Coggi

2021

Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS Journal)

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Foster care is a condition of welcoming children with families in serious difficulty, legally regulated, aimed at guaranteeing to minors a suitable space for growth, and to families of origin the possibility of overcoming the problems so as to consent the return of the children. It is a challenging educational condition, to be deepened with research. The complexity of the backgrounds of origin and the co-presence of multiple risk factors in fact generate in children and young people in foster care, important difficulties in development, which foster families have to cope with, also with the support of specialists, services and associations. However, the skills that caregivers come to build over the years are valuable, deserving of pedagogical insights, so that good practices of positive parenting can be valued and shared. In this paper we will report the results of a survey, carried out with a national sample of 323 foster families. The study makes it possible to investigate the reasons for the custody prevision, the relationships with families of origin, the difficult life trajectories of the children in foster care (transitions, placements, discontinuities, years of foster care, continuation of relationships after foster care). In this way it is possible to identify the needs highlighted by the minors, the relevant problems that emerge and the promising strategies adopted by the foster families.

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“…Children and youth involved with the foster care system often demonstrate complex mental and behavioral health needs related to the trauma of maltreatment and family separation (Dubois-Comtois et al, 2021 ; Leslie et al, 2005 ; Mitchell, 2018 ). Nonparental caregivers such as nonrelative foster parents and kin caregivers have been shown to effectively meet and manage these needs when they possess the appropriate knowledge, skills, and supports (Buehler et al, 2006 ; Katz et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Parenting Competency and Permanency Awareness for Kinship Foster Parents Through In-Service Licensure Training

Gibbs

Ansong

Brevard

et al. 2022

Child Adolesc Soc Work J

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Child welfare jurisdictions increasingly place foster children with kinship foster parents as a means of meeting their need for stability, family connection, and behavioral and emotional support. However, the lack of financial and educational assistance provided to kin by child welfare authorities often undermines these caregivers’ ability to provide effective and lasting care for the children in their homes. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to understand how formal training and licensure processes can aid kinship foster parents in facilitating positive outcomes for children and youth in the foster care system. Specifically, we investigated the barriers experienced by kinship foster parents while trying to access existing licensure-based training and supports, as well as the initial outcomes of a kin-tailored licensure training curriculum alternatingly administered in in-person and virtual delivery formats. Participants reported that incomplete or inaccurate communication about licensing processes, practical difficulties in attending training, irrelevant session content, and stringent licensing requirements acted as barriers to accessing these resources. However, participants in the kin-specific licensure training administered in this study reported high levels of learning related to key parenting competencies and increased awareness of kinship permanency supports, although these outcomes appeared to be less pronounced among those receiving the training in a virtual format. These findings suggest that researchers and policymakers should consider developing, implementing, and evaluating further initiatives to provide accessible and tailored supports to kinship foster parents as a means of improving outcomes for the children in their care.

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Are children and adolescents in foster care at greater risk of mental health problems than their counterparts? A meta-analysis

Cited by 47 publications

References 64 publications

A Systematic Review on Foster Parents’ Psychological Adjustment and Parenting Style—An Evaluation of Foster Parents and Foster Children Variables

A Systematic Review on Foster Parents’ Psychological Adjustment and Parenting Style—An Evaluation of Foster Parents and Foster Children Variables

L’affidamento familiare: le strategie educative elaborate dagli affidatari

Improving Parenting Competency and Permanency Awareness for Kinship Foster Parents Through In-Service Licensure Training

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