Displaying 1 - 10 of 117
Abstract:
LGBTQ+ youth strengthen their resilience resources through the development of meaningful relationships that provide them with unique tools to combat the stress derived from experiences of discrimination and violence targeting their marginalized identities. However, more research is needed to understand how this group benefits from the social support provided by child welfare professionals and how these relational processes may strengthen their resilience, since these professionals are often the only adult models of relationship, even after leaving care.
The focus of…
Background:
research has consistently found poorer outcomes in adolescents who have been exposed to early interpersonal adversities, especially those in out-of-home placements. The presence of mental health problems also contributes to the perception of a more negative group climate and peer interactions through cascading effects.
Objective:
to analyze the sequential relationships between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma-related symptoms, psychological maladjustment, and the perception of group climate and peer interactions. In addition, the…
This paper studies the emotional and behavioural difficulties and the personal wellbeing of adolescents under protective measures in Spain.
Abstract:
This work studies the emotional and behavioural difficulties and the personal wellbeing of adolescents under protective measures. The sample is made up of 151 adolescents in residential care between 11 and 17 years of age. The instruments used were the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI). The results indicate that a high percentage of adolescents have emotional and behavioural…
There is a firm commitment by the European Union and its Member States to the deinstitutionalisation of children in alternative care and support for their transition to care that is family and community-based. Children growing up in alternative care have very often experienced significant trauma before being placed in care. Residential care, in particular, is known to expose them to additional risks if it is not equipped to provide them with the individualised care they need for their healthy development and social inclusion. Children need stable and safe relationships with caring adults to…
Eurochild and UNICEF carried out the DataCare project to map alternative care data systems across the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU-27) and the United Kingdom (UK). They found that despite differing national definitions and categorisations of alternative care across the region, enough data being published at national level can be used at an aggregate level to establish comparable indicators on the number of children in residential care and three other relevant and interlinked indicators.
As the European Union does not currently have comparable and Europe-wide data to gauge the…
Adolescents living in residential youth care (RYC) are at risk for disadvantaged social relationships, which in turn present a risk factor for increased loneliness. Social relationships of Slovenian adolescents aged 15–18 years and living in RYC group homes (N = 51) or in their primary families (N = 100) were investigated by relying on the social convoy framework. The participants also provided self-reports on the Revised UCLA Loneliness scale. Results revealed substantial differences between the two groups of adolescents in the structure (number of members, frequency of…
Abstract
This paper analyzes the impact of adults’ interactive moves and strategies on children’s participation and agency at dinnertime in two Italian residential care facilities, one of the most widely used alternative care life-context for children and youth coming from vulnerable families. Participants are 14 children and 11 educators living in two residential care facilities in Rome (Italy). Adopting an interactional and multimodal analytic approach, this paper focuses on two dinnertime activities: the routine activity of praying before eating and the very frequent one of talking…
Abstract: Research on residential care has been well established in the literature. Nonetheless, research drawing from the actual experiences of adolescents is relatively scarce. A qualitative study was designed highlighting the voices of children, analysing their fostering experience, interpersonal relationships, their participation in daily decisions, and future aspirations. The sample included 33 early adolescents in residential care aged 12–14 in Portugal (n = 17) and Spain (n = 16). Results showed that there was agreement in terms of the importance given to education, their satisfaction…
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of an intervention created to stimulate the development of children under the age of seven, living in an institution for children without parental care in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim of the intervention was to match each child with one volunteer, trained to deliver three hours per week of individually tailored, play-based activities, for a minimum of one year.
16 children (6 boys) participated in the intervention. Three children dropped out after one month of the intervention due to their placement in foster families, so…
Abstract
A rights-based approach calls for studies to explore further the extent to which rights’ fulfillment in residential care affects young people’s mental health. A focus on protective factors, such as supportive relations, can inform policies and practices in residential care which is critical for youths’ empowerment and adaptive outcomes. However, existing studies on social support are mainly descriptive and qualitative in nature or focus on the effect of support in mental health. This study builds upon and enhances existing knowledge by exploring the moderating role of social…