IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v66y2016icp109-116.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Self-esteem: A mediator between peer relationships and behaviors of adolescents in foster care

Author

Listed:
  • Thompson, Heather M.
  • Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson
  • Cooley, Morgan E.

Abstract

Youth in foster care have been shown to be at risk for a range of negative behaviors. Developmental research has highlighted the important role that peer relationships can play in an adolescent's development. For youth in foster care, peer relationships can also play an important role in both youths' internal perception of themselves and their enacted behaviors. This study utilized National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing, a national secondary dataset to analyze the connection between peer relationships for youths in long-term foster care and their report of internalizing, externalizing, and delinquent behaviors (n=188). Additionally, the self-esteem of adolescents was explored as a potential mediator between peer relationships and these behaviors. Preliminary analyses indicated that peer relationships had a significant association with all three of the identified behaviors: internalizing, externalizing, and delinquent behaviors of youths in foster care. Self-esteem was found to be a significant mediator between peer relationships and adolescents' report of their internalizing, externalizing, and delinquent behaviors. Clinical implications for therapeutic services that focuses on the adolescent's self-image and potential policy implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Thompson, Heather M. & Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson & Cooley, Morgan E., 2016. "Self-esteem: A mediator between peer relationships and behaviors of adolescents in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 109-116.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:66:y:2016:i:c:p:109-116
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.05.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740916301475
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.05.003?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. Anctil, Tina M. & McCubbin, Laurie D. & O'Brien, Kirk & Pecora, Peter, 2007. "An evaluation of recovery factors for foster care alumni with physical or psychiatric impairments: Predictors of psychological outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(8), pages 1021-1034, August.
    2. Heflinger, Craig Anne & Simpkins, Celeste G. & Combs-Orme, Terri, 2000. "Using the CBCL to determine the clinical status of children in state custody," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 55-73, January.
    3. Stott, Tonia & Gustavsson, Nora, 2010. "Balancing permanency and stability for youth in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 619-625, April.
    4. Unrau, Yvonne A. & Seita, John R. & Putney, Kristin S., 2008. "Former foster youth remember multiple placement moves: A journey of loss and hope," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 1256-1266, November.
    5. Ryan, Joseph P. & Testa, Mark F., 2005. "Child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency: Investigating the role of placement and placement instability," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 227-249, March.
    6. Leathers, Sonya J., 2002. "Foster Children's Behavioral Disturbance and Detachment from Caregivers and Community Institutions," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 239-268, April.
    7. Keil, Vivien & Price, Joseph M., 2006. "Externalizing behavior disorders in child welfare settings: Definition, prevalence, and implications for assessment and treatment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(7), pages 761-779, July.
    8. Storer, Heather L. & Barkan, Susan E. & Stenhouse, Linnea L. & Eichenlaub, Caroline & Mallillin, Anastasia & Haggerty, Kevin P., 2014. "In search of connection: The foster youth and caregiver relationship," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 110-117.
    9. Bademci, H. Özden & Karadayı, E. Figen & de Zulueta, Felicity, 2015. "Attachment intervention through peer-based interaction: Working with Istanbul's street boys in a university setting," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 20-31.
    10. Legault, Louise & Anawati, Michelle & Flynn, Robert, 2006. "Factors favoring psychological resilience among fostered young people," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(9), pages 1024-1038, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ana Cebollero-Salinas & Jacobo Cano-Escoriaza & Santos Orejudo, 2022. "Social Networks, Emotions, and Education: Design and Validation of e-COM, a Scale of Socio-Emotional Interaction Competencies among Adolescents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Xoana Reguera-López-de-la-Osa & Luis Arturo Gómez-Landero & Pureza Leal-del-Ojo & Águeda Gutiérrez-Sánchez, 2023. "Effectiveness of an Acrobatic Gymnastics Programme for the Improvement of Social Skills and Self-Esteem in Adolescents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Usue de la Barrera & Konstanze Schoeps & José-Antonio Gil-Gómez & Inmaculada Montoya-Castilla, 2019. "Predicting Adolescent Adjustment and Well-Being: The Interplay between Socio-Emotional and Personal Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-17, November.
    4. Klodnick, Vanessa V. & Johnson, Rebecca P. & Morris, Cory & Cohen, Deborah A. & Sapiro, Beth & Schneider, Ava & Fagan, Marc A., 2021. "Shifting from receiver to provider: Aging out of semi-institutional child welfare settings with serious mental health diagnoses," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    5. Duke, Taylor & Farruggia, Susan P. & Germo, Gary R., 2017. "“I don't know where I would be right now if it wasn't for them”: Emancipated foster care youth and their important non-parental adults," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 65-73.
    6. Kothari, Brianne H. & Blakeslee, Jennifer & Miller, Rebecca, 2020. "Individual and interpersonal factors associated with psychosocial functioning among adolescents in foster care: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    7. Cheng, Tyrone C. & Li, Qingyi, 2017. "Adolescent delinquency in child welfare system: A multiple disadvantage model," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 205-212.

    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. Hébert, Sophie T. & Lanctôt, Nadine & Turcotte, Mathilde, 2016. "“I didn't want to be moved there”: Young women remembering their perceived sense of Agency in the Context of placement instability," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 229-237.
    2. Ball, Barbara & Sevillano, Lalaine & Faulkner, Monica & Belseth, Tymothy, 2021. "Agency, genuine support, and emotional connection: Experiences that promote relational permanency in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    3. Simmons-Horton, Sherri Y., 2017. "Providing age-appropriate activities for youth in foster care: Policy implementation process in three states," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 383-391.
    4. Vanschoonlandt, Femke & Vanderfaeillie, Johan & Van Holen, Frank & De Maeyer, Skrällan & Robberechts, Marijke, 2013. "Externalizing problems in young foster children: Prevalence rates, predictors and service use," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 716-724.
    5. Spielfogel, Jill E. & Leathers, Sonya J. & Christian, Errick & McMeel, Lorri S., 2011. "Parent management training, relationships with agency staff, and child mental health: Urban foster parents' perspectives," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 2366-2374.
    6. Kind, Nina & Bürgin, David & Clemens, Vera & Jenkel, Nils & Schmid, Marc, 2020. "Disrupting the disruption cycle – A longitudinal analysis of aggression trajectories, quality of life, psychopathology and self-efficacy in closed youth residential care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    7. Sheridan, Kathryn & Haight, Wendy L. & Cleeland, Leah, 2011. "The role of grandparents in preventing aggressive and other externalizing behavior problems in children from rural, methamphetamine-involved families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1583-1591, September.
    8. Mersky, Joshua P. & Janczewski, Colleen, 2013. "Adult well-being of foster care alumni: Comparisons to other child welfare recipients and a non-child welfare sample in a high-risk, urban setting," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 367-376.
    9. Nho, Choong Rai & Park, Eun Hye & McCarthy, Mary L., 2017. "Case studies of successful transition from out-of-home placement to young adulthood in Korea," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 315-324.
    10. 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.
    11. Cristina Soriano-Díaz & Juan Manuel Moreno-Manso & María Elena García-Baamonde & Mónica Guerrero-Molina & Pilar Cantillo-Cordero, 2022. "Behavioral and Emotional Difficulties and Personal Wellbeing of Adolescents in Residential Care," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Holtan, Amy & Handegård, Bjørn Helge & Thørnblad, Renee & Vis, Svein Arild, 2013. "Placement disruption in long-term kinship and nonkinship foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1087-1094.
    13. Perry, Kristin J. & Price, Joseph M., 2018. "Concurrent child history and contextual predictors of children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 125-136.
    14. Onovbiona, Harlee & Mapes, Ayla R. & Quetsch, Lauren B. & Theodorou, Laurie L. & McNeil, Cheryl B., 2023. "Parent-child interaction therapy for children in foster care and children with posttraumatic stress: Exploring behavioral outcomes and graduation rates in a large state-wide sample," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    15. Farruggia, Susan P. & Germo, Gary R., 2015. "Problem behavior among older youth in foster care: Examining gender," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 20-30.
    16. Farineau, Heather M. & McWey, Lenore M., 2011. "The relationship between extracurricular activities and delinquency of adolescents in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 963-968, June.
    17. McWey, Lenore M. & Acock, Alan & Porter, Breanne E., 2010. "The impact of continued contact with biological parents upon the mental health of children in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1338-1345, October.
    18. Orme, John G. & Cherry, Donna J. & Brown, Jason D., 2017. "Against all odds: Vital Few foster families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 584-593.
    19. Longhofer, Jeffrey & Floersch, Jerry & Okpych, Nate, 2011. "Foster youth and psychotropic treatment: Where next?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 395-404, February.
    20. Haight, Wendy & Marshall, Jane & Hans, Sydney & Black, James & Sheridan, Kathryn, 2010. ""They mess with me, I mess with them": Understanding physical aggression in rural girls and boys from methamphetamine-involved families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1223-1234, October.

    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:66:y:2016:i:c:p:109-116. 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.