Social Work Commons^™

Ideals And Reality: Perceptions Of Healthy And Unhealthy Relationships Among Foster Youth, Bradley Forenza, Autumn Bermea, Briana Rogers

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Exploring romantic relationships is a hallmark of adolescence. As dating relationships are often new during this development trajectory, learning how to be in a relationship (e.g., learning healthy communication skills, etc.) is necessary to facilitate positive partnerships during the transition to adulthood. However, foster youth are a group routinely overlooked within the literature on developing positive and healthy relationships. This formative, exploratory study utilizes focus groups and in-depth interviews to understand foster youth perceptions of healthy and unhealthy dating relationships through a social learning theory lens. Findings explore foster youth perceptions of ideal relationships, the realities of their lived relational …