Citation

Leathers SJ, Spielfogel JE, Geiger J, Barnett J, Vande Voort BL. Child Abuse Negl. 2019; 91: 147-159.

Affiliation

University of Illinois at Chicago, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.03.012

PMID

30889437

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The majority of children in foster care 24 months or longer experience three or more placements. Children's behavior problems are a primary contributor to multiple moves, but little is known about how behavior problems and other stressors lead to disruptions. This study focused on foster parents' experiences of parenting a child at risk for moves using the determinants of parenting model (Belsky, 1984) to identify potential correlates of difficult parenting experiences and placement disruption.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with difficult parenting experiences and placement disruption. PARTICIPANTS: Foster parents (N = 139) caring for children age 8-14 in long term foster care with a history of two or more moves were randomly selected in a large Midwestern state in the U.S.

METHODS: Participants completed a 90-minute telephone interview (86% response rate). Placement moves were tracked prospectively for two years. Parenting experiences and disruption were analyzed using multiple and logistic regression.

RESULTS: Results support aspects of the determinants of parenting model. Behavior problems, children's risk to others, low support, and stress were significantly associated with more difficult parenting experiences (βs = .28,.22,.18,.19, respectively, ps < .05), and more difficult parenting experiences strongly predicted placement disruption (p < .01). Risk to others also predicted disruption before including parenting experiences, with this association becoming nonsignificant after including parenting experiences. Unexpectedly, African American foster parents had a higher risk for disruption, despite more positive parenting experiences.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings support attending to foster parents' parenting experiences, children's risk to others, social support and stress to better support placements of children at risk for disruption.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Language: en

Keywords

Behavior problems; Foster children; Foster parenting; Placement disruption