IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v157y2024ics0190740923006047.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Barriers and facilitators of sibling relationships of youth in foster care from an ecological perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Stevenson Wojciak, Armeda
  • Simpson, Jessica E.
  • Tomfohrde, Olivia
  • Wang, Guanyu

Abstract

For children in foster care sibling support is associated with better mental health and resiliency. Despite the findings on the importance of sibling relationships, siblings are frequently separated from each other. Previous research has explored sibling separation and barriers to placing siblings together. This qualitative study aims to identify barriers and facilitators to sibling relationships from the perspective of those formerly in foster care. A thematic analysis was completed to explore the experiences of 11 adults with foster care experience and identify perceived barriers and facilitators to sibling relationships. Results are interpreted through an ecological framework. Barriers and facilitators are identified at the individual, microsystem, exosystem, and macrosystem levels. Specifically, barriers and facilitators relating to visitation, placement, foster parents, child welfare workers, the foster care system, and the legal system are discussed. Participants also provided recommendations for overcoming barriers and finding ways to facilitate relationships between siblings in the different levels of the ecological system.

Suggested Citation

  • Stevenson Wojciak, Armeda & Simpson, Jessica E. & Tomfohrde, Olivia & Wang, Guanyu, 2024. "Barriers and facilitators of sibling relationships of youth in foster care from an ecological perspective," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:157:y:2024:i:c:s0190740923006047
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107408
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740923006047
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107408?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Novak, Abigail & Benedini, Kristen, 2020. "Sibling separation and self-reported offending: An examination of the association between sibling placement and offending behavior," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    2. Leathers, Sonya J., 2005. "Separation from siblings: Associations with placement adaptation and outcomes among adolescents in long-term foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 793-819, July.
    3. DiGiovanni, Anna & Font, Sarah A., 2021. "Revisiting conventional wisdom: What do we know from 30 years of research on sibling placement in foster care?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    4. Richardson, Sabrina M. & Yates, Tuppett M., 2014. "Siblings in foster care: A relational path to resilience for emancipated foster youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(P3), pages 378-388.
    5. DePanfilis, Diane & Zlotnik, Joan Levy, 2008. "Retention of front-line staff in child welfare: A systematic review of research," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(9), pages 995-1008, September.
    6. Tarren-Sweeney, Michael & Hazell, Philip, 2005. "The mental health and socialization of siblings in care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 821-843, July.
    7. Herrick, Mary Anne & Piccus, Wendy, 2005. "Sibling connections: The importance of nurturing sibling bonds in the foster care system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 845-861, July.
    8. Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson & McWey, Lenore M. & Helfrich, Christine M., 2013. "Sibling relationships and internalizing symptoms of youth in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1071-1077.
    9. Shlonsky, Aron & Bellamy, Jennifer & Elkins, Jennifer & Ashare, Caryn J., 2005. "The other kin: Setting the course for research, policy, and practice with siblings in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 697-716, July.
    10. He, Amy S. & Lizano, Erica L. & Stahlschmidt, Mary Jo, 2021. "When doing the right thing feels wrong: Moral distress among child welfare caseworkers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    11. Augsberger, Astraea & Springwater, Julie Sweeney & Hilliard-Koshinsky, Grace & Barber, Kelsey & Martinez, Linda Sprague, 2019. "Youth participation in policy advocacy: Examination of a multi-state former and current foster care youth coalition," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    12. Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson & McWey, Lenore M. & Waid, Jeffery, 2018. "Sibling relationships of youth in foster care: A predictor of resilience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 247-254.
    13. Waid, Jeffrey & Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson, 2019. "Evaluating the impact of camp-based reunification on the resilience of siblings separated by foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 274-282.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Herbster, Julia M. & Ocasio, Kerrie, 2021. "The complex relationship between sibling contact and child and family well-being in foster care: An exploration of child and family functioning in a pre-permanency cohort," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    2. McCarthy, Lauren Pryce & Lee, Bethany R. & Schagrin, Judith & Loysen, Susan, 2020. "“Knowing that I wasn’t alone”: An evaluation of a therapeutic camp reunifying siblings in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson & McWey, Lenore M. & Waid, Jeffery, 2018. "Sibling relationships of youth in foster care: A predictor of resilience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 247-254.
    4. Waid, Jeffrey & Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson, 2019. "Evaluating the impact of camp-based reunification on the resilience of siblings separated by foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 274-282.
    5. Waid, Jeffrey & Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson, 2017. "Evaluation of a multi-site program designed to strengthen relational bonds for siblings separated by foster care," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 69-77.
    6. Novak, Abigail & Benedini, Kristen, 2020. "Sibling separation and self-reported offending: An examination of the association between sibling placement and offending behavior," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    7. Luu, Betty & Wright, Amy Conley & Cashmore, Judith, 2020. "Sibling networks of children adopted from out-of-home care in New South Wales, Australia," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    8. Jones, Christine & Henderson, Gillian & Woods, Ruth, 2019. "Relative strangers: Sibling estrangements experienced by children in out-of-home care and moving towards permanence," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 226-235.
    9. Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson & McWey, Lenore M. & Helfrich, Christine M., 2013. "Sibling relationships and internalizing symptoms of youth in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1071-1077.
    10. DiGiovanni, Anna & Font, Sarah A., 2021. "Revisiting conventional wisdom: What do we know from 30 years of research on sibling placement in foster care?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    11. Leichtentritt, Judy, 2013. "“It is difficult to be here with my sister but intolerable to be without her”: Intact sibling placement in residential care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 762-770.
    12. Davidson-Arad, Bilha & Klein, Adva, 2011. "Comparative well being of Israeli youngsters in residential care with and without siblings," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 2152-2159.
    13. James, Sigrid & Monn, Amy R. & Palinkas, Lawrence A. & Leslie, Laurel K., 2008. "Maintaining sibling relationships for children in foster and adoptive placements," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 90-106, January.
    14. Richardson, Sabrina M. & Yates, Tuppett M., 2014. "Siblings in foster care: A relational path to resilience for emancipated foster youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(P3), pages 378-388.
    15. Mota, Catarina Pinheiro & Matos, Paula Mena, 2015. "Does sibling relationship matter to self-concept and resilience in adolescents under residential care?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 97-106.
    16. Shlonsky, Aron & Bellamy, Jennifer & Elkins, Jennifer & Ashare, Caryn J., 2005. "The other kin: Setting the course for research, policy, and practice with siblings in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 697-716, July.
    17. McBeath, Bowen & Kothari, Brianne H. & Blakeslee, Jennifer & Lamson-Siu, Emilie & Bank, Lew & Linares, L. Oriana & Waid, Jeffrey & Sorenson, Paul & Jimenez, Jessica & Pearson, Eva & Shlonsky, Aron, 2014. "Intervening to improve outcomes for siblings in foster care: Conceptual, substantive, and methodological dimensions of a prevention science framework," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 1-10.
    18. Berzin, Stephanie Cosner, 2006. "Using sibling data to understand the impact of family group decision-making on child welfare outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 1449-1458, December.
    19. Hegar, Rebecca L. & Rosenthal, James A., 2011. "Foster children placed with or separated from siblings: Outcomes based on a national sample," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(7), pages 1245-1253, July.
    20. Hegar, Rebecca L. & Rosenthal, James A., 2009. "Kinship care and sibling placement: Child behavior, family relationships, and school outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 670-679, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:157:y:2024:i:c:s0190740923006047. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.