'You help children and they move on... but it changes everything': Stress, coping and enjoyment of fostering among sons and daughters of foster carers

摘要

This study aimed to provide a theoretically-based exploration of the experiencesudof sons and daughters of foster carers, particularly with regard to enjoyment ofudfostering, stressors and coping mechanisms. Drawing information from a total ofud55 participants (aged 7-21) for a mixed methods design, multiple linearudregression was used to consider factors which affected fostering enjoyment.udAnalysis suggested that the age gap between foster children and participantsudwas a significant predictor of enjoyment, as were participants’ use of withdrawaludcoping strategies and active/emotional regulation coping strategies. Qualitativeuddata were also gained from written questionnaire responses and a focus groupud(n=8), in which participants were asked for their views on factors which wouldudmake fostering easier and harder for them. Thematic analysis of responsesudsuggested four overarching themes which affected experience of fostering.udThese themes were systemic factors (such as the impact on family systems andudrules); within-foster child factors (such as behaviour, age and gender); personaludand situational factors (such as house size and length of fostering placement)udand relational factors (the impact of fostering on relationships within and outsideudthe family unit). Focus group participants’ descriptions of stressors (events,uddaily stressors and relational stressors) and coping strategies (escape,udwithdrawal, social support and ‘moving on’) are also discussed. The findingsudare then discussed in relation to theories and other research and practical applications are explored.