The caseworker as an external locus of hope for LGB youth in foster care

ABSTRACT

Research with youth has demonstrated that a hopeful mind-set is associated with resilience and well-being and is influenced by our supportive caregivers and adults. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth experience a very high frequency of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and may lack supportive caregivers throughout their foster care experience. This study tests the theory that child welfare caseworkers are a source of hope among LGB youth in foster care. Quantitative analysis was used to examine differences in ACE exposure and differences in the caseworker as a source of hope. LGB youth with eight or more ACEs have a significant positive association with hope in their caseworkers than non-LGB youth.

KEYWORDS:

• LGB youth
• foster care
• hope theory
• adverse childhood experiences
• case worker

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services .

Notes on contributors

Angela B. Pharris

Angela B. Pharris is an Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work, Director of the Center for Child Welfare Training & Simulation, and Senior Researcher with the Hope Research Center. Her research focuses on the application of Hope theory in child welfare practice.

Heather Lepper-Pappan

Heather Lepper-Pappan is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oklahoma Department of Sociology. Their research focuses on child weflare, LGBTQ youth, and crime and deliquency.

Erin Maher

Erin Maher is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Senior Associate Direcrtor for the Data Institutie for Societal Challenges at the University of Oklahoma. Her research focuses on child maltreatment, poverty, and evaluations of programs in early childhood and child weflare.

Anthony P. Natale

Anthony P. Natale is an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Wor, and Director of the Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies. His reserach focusees on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ receiving social services.