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

Abstract

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.

Latent classes of older foster youth: Prospective associations with outcomes and exits from the foster care system during the transition to adulthood

“…Older foster youth have been the target of many policy efforts, as they are widely recognized as vulnerable and not well-prepared to handle the transition to adulthood, often lacking both social and financial resources and relying on fragmented services provided by multiple systems (e.g., child and adult mental health services, housing services, safety net programs) (Courtney, Charles, Okpych, Napolitano, & Halsted, 2014; Courtney & Heuring, 2005; Cunningham & Diversi, 2013; C. Lee & Berrick, 2014).…”

A Critical Analysis of Foster Youth Advisory Boards in the United States

“…Youth who have experienced some form of maltreatment are at risk for greater maladaptive functioning in adulthood (Lee and Berrick 2014). Foster youth experience many common factors when transitioning to adulthood.…”

“…The concept of emerging adulthood has recently changed partly due to a delay in young adults becoming financially dependent (Berzin et al 2014). Youth raised in a traditional family may have parents to act as a financial buffer during the early years of adulthood (Lee and Berrick 2014). Parents are often able to assist their children both financially and emotionally as their children take longer and longer to achieve traditional milestones.…”

Transitions to Adulthood of ‘At Risk’ Young Men: New Analysis from Two Norwegian Qualitative Longitudinal Studies

“…For the minority of young Norwegians who have experienced material, social, behavioural and psychological difficulties in childhood and adolescence, the transition to adulthood can be complex and difficult, marked by truancy, substance abuse, poor mental health, and criminality (Backe‐Hansen et al , ). Yet, some of the young men who have faced such difficulties and have been considered to be ‘at risk’ of poor adult outcomes establish stability over time (Helgeland, , ; Lee and Berrick, ). Mochmann and Kleinau (, p. 197) point out that children from a range of countries are exposed to various risks and challenges but that these ‘can be increased and decreased by interventions from various stakeholders’.…”