Fostering "family" : how communication sustains and functions in foster families

Nelson, Leslie R.

doi:10.32469/10355/44310

Cited by 5 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…More specifically, high levels of conversation orientation (i.e., degree to which parents create a warm and supportive communication environment) were positively associated with shared family identity, relational closeness, and child resiliency; high levels of foster communication openness were positively related to relational closeness and child resiliency. Given that children's mean age in Nelson and Colaner's () study was 8 years old, these findings lend support for applying the second phase of the FAC to model to the FFC model such that children's freedom to engage parents in conversation, both about general and foster‐specific topics, significantly affected individual and family dynamics. Arguably, more research is needed to validate this phase of the FFC model.…”

Section: Applying and Adapting The Fac Model To The Foster Family Conmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…According to Nelson and Colaner () similar communicative experiences among adoptive and foster families (e.g., accounting for incomplete information about the child, discourse‐dependent nature) provide insight into the manner in which domain‐specific conversations occur in the family. Thus, by altering the definition Brodzinsky () provided for adoption communication openness, Nelson and Colaner () posited foster communication openness “refers to the degree foster parents are willing to engage in a free‐flowing dialogue about a wide array of foster‐related issues and emotions with their foster child” (Nelson & Colaner, , p. 8). In so doing, Nelson and Colaner () extended the notion and importance of domain‐specific, open communication to the context of foster families.…”

Section: Importance Of Openness In Adoptive and Foster Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, by altering the definition Brodzinsky () provided for adoption communication openness, Nelson and Colaner () posited foster communication openness “refers to the degree foster parents are willing to engage in a free‐flowing dialogue about a wide array of foster‐related issues and emotions with their foster child” (Nelson & Colaner, , p. 8). In so doing, Nelson and Colaner () extended the notion and importance of domain‐specific, open communication to the context of foster families.…”

Section: Importance Of Openness In Adoptive and Foster Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has revealed that parent–child communication patterns are related to foster children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors such that positive and open foster parent–child communication is inversely related to children's exhibited internalizing and externalizing behavior issues (Vuchinich, Ozretich, Pratt, & Kneedler, ). Nelson and Colaner () added to this growing body of research by revealing open foster parent–child communication positively affected foster parent–child relational closeness, shared family identity, and child resiliency. In other words, not only does an open communication environment in foster families affect individual and relational well‐being; it also affects family identity.…”

Section: Importance Of Openness In Adoptive and Foster Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, research on how communication sustains and functions in foster families warrants specific attention from family researchers. In particular, understanding the nature, process, and impact of foster family communication across the life span could be beneficial to family and communication scholars alike (Nelson & Colaner, 2016;Nelson & Horstman, 2017;Patrick & Galvin, 2012;Suter, Baxter, Seurer, & Thomas, 2014;Thomas, 2014b).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Evolving Nature and Process of Foster Family Communication: An Application and Adaptation of the Family Adoption Communication Model

Nelson

2017

J of Family Theo & Revie

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In the current article I call for a better understanding of the process and evolution of foster family communication across the life span. First, I expose the communicative complexities of foster families. Second, I illuminate the importance of communication openness and birth family contact in both adoptive and foster family contexts. Third, through an application of the family adoption communication (FAC) model, I propose a framework for understanding how the process of foster family communication may evolve (i.e., foster family communication model). Last, I set forth directions for future research on foster family communication.

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Section: Applying and Adapting The Fac Model To The Foster Family Conmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Importance Of Openness In Adoptive and Foster Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Importance Of Openness In Adoptive and Foster Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Importance Of Openness In Adoptive and Foster Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Evolving Nature and Process of Foster Family Communication: An Application and Adaptation of the Family Adoption Communication Model

Nelson

2017

J of Family Theo & Revie

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Talking Is Hard: A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Factors Associated with Communication about Mental Health Issues among Black College Students

Dai

Morgan

2021

Communication Studies

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Families are for thriving, not just surviving : aged out foster youths' experiences of family, home, and estrangement

Nelson¹

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Guided by social identity (Tajfel and Turner, 1986), social constructionism (Berger and Luckmann, 1967; Gergen, 1985), and discourse-dependence (Galvin, 2006; Galvin and Braithwaite, 2014) theorizing, the present study illuminated the communicative experiences and complexities inherent to family and home life for youth who aged out of foster care. Broadly, results from 30 interviews afforded a necessary understanding of how aged out foster youth understand and process "family," "home," and family identity formation and deconstruction in conversations with others. First, findings revealed that "family" was conceptualized as those who love you unconditionally, as those who support you, and as more than blood -- signifying a valuing of function (e.g., love, support) over structure (e.g., blood/legal ties) when defining-family. The criteria aged out foster youth applied to â€œfamilyâ€ informed aged out foster youths' decision-making processes about what individuals were identified as family ingroup members, family outgroup members, and liminal group members. Second, results indicated that participants drew upon their experiences before, during, and after care when making sense of home as self, home as a place, and home as family. Third, findings revealed that aged out foster youth utilized naming, discussing, narrating, ritualizing, and normalizing to build and maintain family identity with family ingroup members. Fourth, results indicated that aged out foster youth most often estranged from biological family members due to physical actions, personal attributes, and/or lack of social support. Ultimately, participants reported estranging from family members because they defied their personal standards for family relationships. In order to actively deconstruct family identity with these family members, aged out foster youth utilized the discursive strategies of naming, discussing, deritualizing, silencing, and disassociating to deliberately defy standards of family as a way to create distance. Last, results revealed that aged out foster youth tended to focus on the positive impacts of family estrangement on the self through discussing both emotional implications (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, and mixed affect) and self-improvement implications (i.e., demonstrating empowerment, encouraging self-care, and promoting mental health). Findings contribute to family communication and family estrangement research by illuminating how aged out foster youth accounts spoke to family estrangement as a potential pathway to self-actualization. Results also advance discourse-dependence theorizing by empirically testing Galvin and Braithwaite's (2014) proposed identity deconstruction strategies and illuminating how standards for identity-building talk have heightened. Moreover, findings contribute to social identity and intergroup theorizing through revealing how the family ingroup is being reimagined and complicating our understandings of intergroup distinctions. A host of practical implications, such as offering estrangement coaching and developing practical skills for evaluating family, also emerged. Ultimately, results from the current study pave the way for future research to continue to explore how family and home life are discussed and experienced among aged out foster youth.

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Fostering "family" : how communication sustains and functions in foster families

Cited by 5 publications

References 46 publications

The Evolving Nature and Process of Foster Family Communication: An Application and Adaptation of the Family Adoption Communication Model

The Evolving Nature and Process of Foster Family Communication: An Application and Adaptation of the Family Adoption Communication Model

Talking Is Hard: A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Factors Associated with Communication about Mental Health Issues among Black College Students

Families are for thriving, not just surviving : aged out foster youths' experiences of family, home, and estrangement

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