Fostering “Family”: Communication Orientations in the Foster Parent-Child Relationship

Abstract

Although foster families serve a critical societal role, little is known about foster family communication dynamics. The present study investigated the relationship of current foster parents’ (n = 158) communication with his/her foster child on foster parents’ perceptions of relational and child well-being. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that foster parent-child communication is associated with foster parents’ perceptions of shared family identity, relational closeness, and child resiliency. These findings suggest the importance of domain-specific family communication orientations and underscore the critical role of open communication in foster families.

Keywords:

• Child Resiliency
• Family Communication Patterns
• Foster Family Communication
• Relational Closeness
• Shared Family Identity

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Residual centered variables were not used for the tests of moderation between the conversation orientation and FCO orientation. Rather, an interaction term was created based on the non-residual centered variable values, and the beta for the interaction term was examined in the model for significance.