The Future Orientations and Well-being of Children Involved in the Child Welfare System

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the well-being and future orientations of youth involved in the child welfare system. To conduct this research, I draw on the life course framework to examine how interpersonal relationships, structural constraints, and individual agency pattern the relationship between child welfare involvement and multiple domains of child well-being. This analysis incorporates causal inference techniques in nationally representative data as well as a participatory method to emphasize the lived experience of local teens living in group homes. Chapter 2 uses propensity score matching to analyze the impact of kinship care on child well-being compared to non-relative foster care on emotional and behavioral well-being while accounting for unobserved differences inherent in child placement decisions. My co-authors and I find that behavioral differences affect the placement decision, not the placement type affecting the behavioral differences. Chapter 3 explores the relationship between experiencing a placement change and developing internalizing and externalizing behaviors. My co-authors and I find that placement disruptions did not significantly contribute to behavioral concerns in our sample, suggesting that other factors may have more salient effects, such as experiencing trauma and peer relationships. Chapter 4 examines how having a foreshortened future orientation mediates the relationship between self-esteem and expectations of two traditional milestones: graduating high school and getting a good job. I find that having a foreshortened orientation fully mediates the relationship between negative self-esteem and expecting to graduate high school but not expecting to get a good job. Chapter 5 then unpacks future orientations among teens living in Oklahoma group homes using the participatory method Photovoice. Findings from this chapter demonstrate the importance of sustained sibling relationships and the participants’ appreciation of good connections and influences in their lives. I conclude by discussing potential avenues and implications for research and programming.