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Dissertation
Foster Parents' Trauma Knowledge and Understanding of Emotions as Correlates of Placement Stability
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jan 2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001563
Abstract
The primary objective of the current study was to investigate parental trauma knowledge, empathic response style, and emotional intelligence as correlates of placement stability in foster homes. The study was a retrospective survey study. Foster parents completed a series of surveys, including demographic questions, self-report of understanding of emotions/emotional intelligence, empathic response patterns, and trauma knowledge. Foster parents also reported on child demographics, length of stay for each child placed in their care, and children's externalizing behaviors. Higher levels of foster parent emotional intelligence (EI) trended toward a significant relationship to higher rates of child placement stability. In the subset of parents who had ever requested any removals, foster parental empathic perspective taking correlated with higher rates of child placement stability as did parental trauma knowledge. Foster parent EI significantly moderated the relationship between child externalizing behavior and placement stability that placement stability was highest when parental EI was high and child externalizing behavior was low, while all other combinations of parent EI and child externalizing behavior levels showed higher rates of child removal requests. Results contribute to knowledge of parent/family characteristics that may be important correlates of placement stability in foster care and suggest that parental empathic perspective taking, emotional intelligence/understanding of emotions and trauma knowledge may be important protective factors for the placement stability of children in foster care. While parental strengths like emotional intelligence may be protective against placement disruption when children have relatively low levels of externalizing behavior, future studies should attempt to identify parental resources and contextual factors that may be protective when children have higher levels of externalizing behavior, a common risk factor for placement disruption.
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Details
- Title
- Foster Parents' Trauma Knowledge and Understanding of Emotions as Correlates of Placement Stability
- Creators
- Katherine Ellane Dilks
- Contributors
- Ellen Stephanie Krauthamer Ewing (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- vii, 39 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Counseling and Family Therapy; College of Nursing and Health Professions; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991020216015704721