Experiences of young parents with foster care backgrounds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Child Abuse Negl
; 131: 105527, 2022 09.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1670313
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique challenges to parents of young children, due to the closure of schools and childcare centers, and increased caregiver burden. These challenges may be especially pronounced for youth with foster care backgrounds, as they lack critical support and resources to rely on during emergency situations.OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of the present study was to examine the experiences of these vulnerable young parents since the beginning of the pandemic. PARTICIPANTS ANDSETTING:
Our study included 17 young parents ages 18-26, who had recently aged out of foster care or were currently in extended care. Participants were predominantly female, and Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC).METHODS:
Youth participated in virtual focus groups or individual interviews and described their experiences and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. A structured thematic analysis approach was employed to examine key themes in youths` accounts.RESULTS:
Analysis resulted in five major themes (a) employment disruptions and economic hardships, (b) educational challenges for parents and children, (c) parental and child mental health concerns, (d) insufficient resources and barriers to service receipt, and (e) "silver linings".CONCLUSIONS:
Young parents with foster care backgrounds faced numerous challenges due to COVID-19 and struggled to access critical resources and supports. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Young adult
Language:
English
Journal:
Child Abuse Negl
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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