"You think lots of love will heal the child, but it requires a lifetime of patience". Foster parents' intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles.

Autor: Solvi AS; Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care, Telemark Hospital Trust, Skien, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: anstso@sthf.no., Råbu M; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: mariraa@psykologi.uio.no., Røseth I; Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Care, Telemark Hospital Trust, Skien, Norway; Department of Psychosocial Health, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway. Electronic address: iduroe@sthf.no.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Child abuse & neglect [Child Abuse Negl] 2024 Aug; Vol. 154, pp. 106947. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 16.
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106947
Abstrakt: Background: Foster parents can be placed under significant demands when caring for foster children with extensive needs. Coming to terms with the challenges they have to face can be a daunting prospect. To examine foster parents' experiences is vital with a view to enhancing their resilience amid sustained demands and improving the professional support offered to them.
Objective: This study explores foster parents' lived experience of caring for foster children with mental illness and attachment difficulties.
Participants and Settings: Twenty-two foster parents, caring for foster children aged 2-17, were recruited from a mental health clinic providing assessment and treatment to children.
Methods: In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological psychological approach.
Results: Our analysis revealed four interrelated constituents describing the foster parents' experiences: 1) Wanting to help a child, 2) Adjustments were harder than expected, 3) Sacrifices and suppression of needs, and 4) Commitment and love mixed with ambivalence.
Conclusion: The findings highlight that being a foster parent for children with mental illness and attachment difficulties demands heightened patience, knowledge and understanding. It also involves a substantial emotional investment. This underscores the importance of addressing feelings of love, shame, and guilt in this context. Balancing the needs of the foster child with the well-being of the foster family can be challenging. Foster parents may need extensive support from professionals who are familiar with their unique circumstances to increase their feeling of self-efficacy and reduce ambivalent feelings regarding their role as caregivers.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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