Caregiver perceptions of empowerment and self-efficacy following youths’ discharge from residential care

ABSTRACT

Residential care is one of the most restrictive out-of-home care settings; however, this is a temporary placement and youth eventually reintegrate into the home and community setting. Reintegration presents many challenges, and aftercare becomes critical for maintaining youth gains and promoting family stability. Aftercare programs and supports should align to individual family needs that entail understanding individual and familial characteristics. Previous studies have explored characteristics related to family functioning, mental health, behavior, and perceptions of need during reintegration; yet little is known regarding how affective characteristics (i.e., self-efficacy, empowerment) factor into reintegration, or the implications this may have for providers. The purpose of this study was to address this gap by exploring empowerment and self-efficacy in caregivers (N = 120) who had a child return home within 1 month of departing residential care. Overall, caregivers reported high levels of empowerment and self-efficacy during the initial transition period. Significant differences for empowerment and self-efficacy were present in characteristics such as race, income, number of children in the home, and free/reduced lunch status.

KEYWORDS:

• Aftercare caregiver empowerment
• caregiver self-efficacy
• residential care support
• services

Acknowledgments

The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Institute of Education Sciences or the U.S. Department of Education.

Funding

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Education through Grant #R324A120260 to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Education through Grant #R324A120260 to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.