Abstract
Researchers found that foster parents needed education on how their foster youth’s past traumas affected occupational performance. Foster parents would benefit from family-centered OT interventions that could be implemented throughout daily routines.
Primary Author and Speaker: Jason Lawson
Contributing Authors: Sydney Alexander, Ashley Neumiller, Anthony Salos
Children who are in the foster care system have been shown to have higher rates of developmental delays, eating and sleeping disorders, sensory processing challenges, and mental health conditions (Fisher et al., 2013; Gonzalez, 2014). Occupational Therapists (OT’s) have knowledge to address these concerns and may work with foster families in practice (Paul-Ward & Lamdin-Pattavina, 2016). Unfortunately, limited research exists understanding foster parents’ occupation of child rearing foster youth. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of foster parents who engage in the occupation of child rearing. Six participants were purposively selected and interviewed with semi-structured interviews. The interview data were coded, developed into categories, and two major themes emerged: (1) Foster parents needed an understanding about how their foster youth’s traumatic histories impacted behavior in order to meet their child’s physical and emotional needs; and (2) foster parents are required to fulfill a variety of semi-professional obligations set forth by the foster care agency. Fulfilling these obligations often created stress because they added to their busy daily lives and disrupted their typical routines. The results of this study indicated that OT services could best support foster parents’ occupational performance of child rearing by utilizing a family-centered approach (Morin, 2020). Researchers concluded that ongoing education be provided to foster parent’s on how trauma histories may be impacting the foster youth’s behavior and occupational performance. Additionally, frequently communicating the purpose and rational for recommended interventions and collaboratively problem solving on how to best implement programming into daily routines could help contribute to successful occupational performance of child rearing and contribute to positive outcomes of foster youth.
Fisher, P. A., Mannering, A. M., Van Scoyoc, A., & Graham, A. (2013). A translational neuroscience perspective on the importance of reducing placement instability among foster children. Child Welfare, 92(5), 9–36.
Gonzalez, M. J. (2014). Mental health care of families affected by the child welfare system. Child Welfare, 93(1), 7–57.
Paul-Ward, A. & Lambdin-Pattavina, C. (2016). New roles for occupational therapy to promote independence among children aging out of foster care. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(3), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2016.017426
Morin, A. (2020). The unique challenges first families face. Verywell. https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-unique-challenges-foster-families-face-4779821