Kools S
University of California, San Francisco, Department of Family Health Care Nursing, USA.
J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Nurs. 1999 Oct-Dec;12(4):139-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6171.1999.tb00063.x.
Adolescents in long-term foster care experience significant health and mental health problems. Little is known about their perceptions of the impact of foster care.
Seventeen adolescents were interviewed in their foster group homes. Dimensional analysis was used to develop theory on the impact of foster care.
Adolescents in foster care engaged in self-protection strategies secondary to experiences of devaluation and uncertainty in foster care, including guarding foster child status, maintaining a defensive posture, distancing self, and keeping relationships superficial. Self-protection resulted in a veneer of self-reliance and social detachment.
Strategies are suggested to address devaluing experiences and promote positive identity development in foster care.
