Measuring Resiliency and Its Predictors in Recently Discharged Foster Youth

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

“…However, in this study, the ‘Moderate Problems’ class had a high likelihood of residing with relatives at 19 and poor educational and employment outcomes; these findings are consistent with prior work finding that youth living with relatives after leaving care exhibit less resilience and poorer education and employment outcomes (Fowler et al, 2011; Jones, 2012). Biological relatives may be able to provide housing, an essential need for youth leaving care, but lack the resources to connect these youth to educational or work opportunities that promote independence (Fowler et al, 2011).…”

“…Biological relatives may be able to provide housing, an essential need for youth leaving care, but lack the resources to connect these youth to educational or work opportunities that promote independence (Fowler et al, 2011). In addition, foster youths’ histories of poor parent-child interactions and disrupted relationships with families of origin are likely to carry forward into this period, resulting in fewer or less consistent supports during this transition (Jones, 2012; Vaughn, Shook, & McMillen, 2008). Support for kin caregivers may be key to supporting these youth during early adulthood.…”

Differential Prediction of Resilience Among Individuals With and Without a History of Abuse

“…In many cases, the relationships between mutuality, hope, and spirituality have been investigated individually or in reference to categorical variables such as psychiatric diagnosis, specific experiences, and demographic data (Hirsch et al, ; Jones, ; Lee et al, ). Researchers in each of these studies found correlations between the impact of mutuality, hope, or spirituality on resilience, but we did not find any research that examined the degree to which each of these constructs predicted resilience in relation to each other.…”

“…Abuse is a multifaceted construct that is generally researched in context of only one type or variance of abuse, such as incest or domestic violence. However, one construct that several researchers have identified as a statistically significant indicator of someone's capacity for an adaptive response to various types of abuse is the degree that he or she exhibits resilience, which is defined as the ability to bounce back and cope with negative or adverse experiences (Cohen, Ferguson, Harms, Pooley, & Tomlinson, 2011;Jones, 2012;Lee et al, 2013;Peres et al, 2007;Smith, Tooley, Christopher, & Kay, 2010;White, Driver, & Warren, 2010). These researchers equated higher levels of resilience, including the ability to recover from adversity, with higher levels of psychological well-being.…”

Methamphetamine Use among Homeless Former Foster Youth: The Mediating Role of Social Networks

“…13 Family contact and family support have been shown to be associated with resilience. 29,30 Furthermore, these youth face additional risk factors because they have fewer ties and experience more network disruption compared to other young adult populations. 31 Although networks are particularly important for youth during transition, these same young adults tend to struggle with maintaining relationships with their birth families and have a difficult time adjusting to the often abrupt changes that come with transition and discharge from foster care.…”