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Selected Works

2008

Foster care

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social Work

"What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger": Survivalist Self-Reliance As Resilience And Risk Among Young Adults Aging Out Of Foster Care, Julia Pryce Dec 2007

"What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger": Survivalist Self-Reliance As Resilience And Risk Among Young Adults Aging Out Of Foster Care, Julia Pryce

Julia Pryce

This interpretive study explores the experiences of 44 Midwestern young adults in the process of aging out of foster care. This paper highlights the degree to which they endorse self-reliance as they reflect on past experiences, offer advice to foster youth, and identify barriers to achieving their own life goals. Findings suggest that this identity must be understood in multiple contexts including societal expectations of independence and autonomy, foster-care and family of origin as developmental contexts, and current scholarship on youth aging out of care. We argue that vigilant self-reliance can be a source of resilience but also a potential …

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“She Holds My Hand”: The Experiences Of Foster Youth With Their Natural Mentors, Johanna K.P. Greeson, Natasha K. Bowen Dec 2007

“She Holds My Hand”: The Experiences Of Foster Youth With Their Natural Mentors, Johanna K.P. Greeson, Natasha K. Bowen

Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP

The vulnerability and adversity that youth frequently experience following aging out of foster care are well-documented. However, much less is known about the positive experiences and healthy relationships that may buffer these youth from the negative outcomes following emancipation. Utilizing a strengths perspective, this exploratory study gathered qualitative data about the experiences of older foster youth with their natural mentors. Although other at-risk and marginalized groups are represented in the natural mentoring literature, representation of female foster youth of color is scarce. Seven female foster youth of color were individually interviewed using a semi-structured protocol. Data were analyzed using the …

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