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ABSTRACT
A better understanding of how to support resource (foster, kinship, and adoptive caregivers) is needed to ensure high-quality home-based care for children who cannot reside safely in their homes. Using the Caregiver Strain Questionnaire, this study examined factors that predicted the extent to which caregivers experienced Objective Strain (the disruption of family routines and financial burden) and Subjective Strain (feelings of guilt, anxiety, and fatigue). Regression analyses suggest that resource parents who are caring for children who need mental health services experience higher levels of stress than other parents. Factors that mitigate strain include access to quality mental health services provided by child welfare and mental health professionals who are adoption-competent and trauma-informed, and the provision of adequate financial support. Findings suggest that supports from skilled service providers are critical for preventing stress and burnout in resource parents.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Robin Leake
Dr. Robin Leake, Ph.D., is a Research Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver with over 20 years of experience in social science and intervention research and evaluation, with an emphasis on implementation of evidence-based, trauma-informed practice, organizational and workforce development. Dr. Leake is the Project Director for the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) funded by the ACF to strengthen the child welfare workforce, and also the Children's Bureau Capacity Building Center for Tribes, which supports tribal child welfare programs in implementing evidence-informed programs that serve children and families.
Valerie F. Wood
Dr. Valerie F. Wood, Ph.D., is a Research Assistant Professor at the Center on Disability and Community Inclusion, in the College of Education and Social Services, at the University of Vermont. Dr. Wood has applied expertise in interdisciplinary program evaluation, continuous quality improvement, and research methods focused on children and adolescents who are at-risk and the systems of care that support them. Her research interests include positive youth development, conflict resolution, and systems integration.
Marian Bussey
Dr. Marian Bussey, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor Emerita with the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. Dr. Bussey's research interests focus on the intersections between mental health, trauma, and substance abuse. Dr. Bussey has worked to create collaborative program evaluation projects that serve youth with mental illnesses, families with at-risk teens, and American Indian families. Her work has appeared in a variety of journals including Child Welfare, Children and Youth Services Review, Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, and Protecting Children.
Jessica Strolin-Goltzman
Dr. Jessica Strolin-Goltzman, Ph.D., is a Professor in the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont. Dr. Strolin-Goltzman is an implementation scholar focusing on interventions to improve social and emotional wellbeing of children, youth, and families across child welfare, educational, and healthcare settings. Her clinical practice experience includes child welfare and adolescent substance abuse treatment. Dr. Strolin-Goltzman has served as Principal Investigator on several comprehensive implementation research grants from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and she is trained in CBT, adventure based/wilderness therapy, and expressive arts modalities.