Emancipated foster youth’s experiences and perceptions of the transition to adulthood

ABSTRACT

Using a grounded theory approach, this study evaluated narratives from a sample of 170 emancipated foster youth (66.5% female; 84.6% non-white) as they reflected on their experiences between the ages of 18 and 25 across three data waves. Corbin and Strauss’ (1990) three-phase coding process revealed five overarching themes: adult values and characteristics, nature of the transition process, material needs and resources, relationship concerns, and affective experiences. Although some elements of Arnett’s (2000) model of emerging adulthood were evident in this sample of emancipated foster youth, such as individualistic qualities and instability, other core features were rarely discussed, such as self-focus and optimism, or were expressed in unique ways, such as exploration and feeling in-between. There were significant age-related changes, but not gender differences, in youth’s discussion of varied themes. These findings suggest promising avenues for intervention during the sensitive period of developmental reorganization that characterizes the transition from adolescence to young adulthood.

KEYWORDS:

• Age-related changes
• aging out
• child welfare
• emancipation
• emerging adulthood
• foster youth
• grounded theory
• youth

Acknowledgement

We gratefully acknowledge the collaboration of our organizational partners who assisted with participant recruitment and the support of our research team. We thank Dr. Larry Palinkas for his encouragement and guidance regarding the qualitative data analysis. We extend our deepest appreciation to the emancipated foster youths for their generosity and courage in sharing their stories with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Fanita A. Tyrell http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6419-6485

Additional information

Funding

This research project was supported by a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship awarded to the first author. The study was funded by grants from the John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation and the William T. Grant Foundation awarded to the second author.