Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Rolande Murray

Abstract

Therapeutic-level foster homes provide housing and care for special needs children removed from their own homes. The addition of a special needs child can lead to increased family stress. However, recent reviews of the literature show that there is very little literature aimed at understanding what the biological children in these homes experience. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experience of family in adults who, as children, were these biological children. The family stress and coping model was used as a conceptual framework of understanding. Data were obtained from participants in Upstate New York from both county and private foster care agencies using a nonprobabilistic, purposive criterion sampling of biological children between the ages of 18 and 21 who had been raised in this type of home environment. Data was transcribed using voice recordings and then entered into NVivo for categorization with follow up review for accuracy. Results found that several of the participants felt that they were not properly prepared for the challenges that the foster care experience brought. Many participants also felt that there was an impact to their own health or well-being during the time their family provided foster care. Nearly all participants expressed being exposed to the foster child’s maladaptive behaviors. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the biological children’s experience with regard to what aspects of fostering they find concerning, more preparation prior fostering, and how they feel their meaning of family differs from those families that do not provide foster care. These results may be used to improve the foster care experience of this target population and case management of these families while contributing to positive social change by identifying areas that could contribute to foster placement disruption.

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