“What doesn't kill you makes you stronger”: Survivalist self-reliance as resilience and risk among young adults aging out of foster care

Samuels, Gina Miranda; Pryce, Julia

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.03.005

Cited by 343 publications

(241 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Schwartz (2007Schwartz ( , p. 1205, in a study of the ethnic identities of African-American young people in kin and non-kin setting, displays the interaction of theory and research design by explaining how the theoretical starting point of symbolic interactionism, directed the researcher to focus on the cultural contexts in which selves were constructed, highlighting the importance of language and how adolescents understand themselves through the meanings conveyed by others. Samuels and Pryce (2008) also provide a detailed description of how their theoretical understandings shaped their research study. The following is an extracted version:…”

Section: The Integration Of Theory Into Research Designs and Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Listening to Children in Care: A Review of Methodological and Theoretical Approaches to Understanding Looked after Children’s Perspectives

Holland

2009

Children & Society

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This article reviews 44 refereed journal articles published between 2003 and 2008. All of the articles attempt to directly uncover the experiences or perspectives of young people cared for by the state in foster, residential or kinship care homes. The review reveals that this field is developing a rich body of evidence derived from a broad range of methodological and theoretical frameworks. In this sample, research designs appeared to be influenced by placement settings, as well as theoretical orientations, but comparative and longitudinal designs were used in both quantitative and qualitative studies. Participative research designs were only present in qualitative designs within a broadly interpretive theoretical orientation. It is suggested in this article that researchers should critically reflect on the use of constructs that may negatively label young people in care. It is also suggested that there could be fuller reporting of ethical issues. Despite some identified gaps, such as the participation of young people in quantitative research designs and research with younger age groups, the article concludes that there appears to be an encouraging emergence of theoretical and methodological diversity in this research area.

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Section: The Integration Of Theory Into Research Designs and Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Listening to Children in Care: A Review of Methodological and Theoretical Approaches to Understanding Looked after Children’s Perspectives

Holland

2009

Children & Society

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“…Focus groups with young adults aging out of care in the U.S. have revealed comparable frustrations at being given little opportunity to exercise agency while in care, yet expected to be in control and direct their lives upon exiting the system (Geenen & Powers, 2007). Similar sentiments were found in a qualitative study of a sub-sample from the Midwest Study, with respondents noting that they experienced minimal control over their lives throughout their stay in foster care (Samuels & Pryce, 2008). Finally, a qualitative study investigating why youth who had the option to receive foster care services past age 18 were not doing so, found that youths' desire to exercise personal agency played a significant role in their decisions to leave the system (Goodkind et al, 2011).…”

Section: Intangible Resources: Personal Agency Among Youth In Foster mentioning

confidence: 52%

“…In addition to tangible resources, several qualitative studies suggest a possible alignment of Côté's intangible resources to the experiences of youth aging out of care into adulthood (Gaskell, 2010;Geenen & Powers, 2007;Goodkind et al, 2011;Samuels & Pryce, 2008). Interviews with young people who aged out of care in the UK uncovered feelings of losing control, becoming disillusioned, and developing distrust in people as a result of frequent and unannounced moves in foster care (Gaskell, 2010), indicating a lack of opportunity to exercise agency.…”

Section: Intangible Resources: Personal Agency Among Youth In Foster mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other young adults indicated asking for help if the assistance related to accessing concrete needs, such as jobs or housing, while commonly rejecting other types of aid, including emotional support (Samuels & Pryce, 2008). Young people who felt that they were not on track in their transition to self-sufficiency frequently blamed themselves for their lack of progress, suggesting that strong self-reliance may serve as both a strength and barrier to success (Samuels & Pryce, 2008).…”

Section: Intangible Resources: Adult Identity and Negotiating The Pasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A sub-sample of youth from the Midwest Study reported trying to be an "ideal foster child," not requiring a lot of care and taking on the role of provider, rather than receiver, of support in relationships with biological parents (Samuels & Pryce, 2008). Surviving without the aid of parental support and resources served as an important source of pride and self-esteem for many young people, and in fact, depending on others or expressing personal vulnerability was seen by some as risks to independence and success (Samuels & Pryce, 2008). In another study, asking for help from others was seen as burdensome or shameful, with some youth reporting concerns that others would view them as incompetent if they asked for help (Mulkerns & Owen, 2008).…”

Section: Intangible Resources: Adult Identity and Negotiating The Pasmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

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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A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Foster Care Research

Fisher

Leve

Delker

et al. 2016

Developmental Psychopathology

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This chapter provides a developmental psychopathology perspective on foster care research. Empirical studies of foster children have existed for over 100 years, documenting risks faced by this population and instances in which foster children display remarkable resilience. Knowledge emanating from the published studies on foster children, especially where it intersects with research on other populations that have experienced early life adversity, has potential to shed light on how healthy development can be negatively affected, but also how it may be preserved, when adverse rearing conditions exist. Investigations in this area have been conducted across numerous disciplines. Following a brief history of foster care in the United States and elsewhere, we review what is known about nine topics that are germane to the study of foster children from a developmental psychopathology perspective and conclude with a discussion of the translational implications of prior research and directions for future research.

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“What doesn't kill you makes you stronger”: Survivalist self-reliance as resilience and risk among young adults aging out of foster care

Cited by 343 publications

References 35 publications

Listening to Children in Care: A Review of Methodological and Theoretical Approaches to Understanding Looked after Children’s Perspectives

Listening to Children in Care: A Review of Methodological and Theoretical Approaches to Understanding Looked after Children’s Perspectives

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

A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Foster Care Research

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