Intra- and interpersonal influences on child adjustment and resilience in welfare care: A qualitative study with former caregivers in Switzerland

Despite the growing research on child maltreatment within welfare care, few studies have included the caregivers who were involved in care provision and can provide insights on an intra- and interpersonal level. Therefore, this study aimed to examine intra- and interpersonal factors that promoted or hindered the adaptive adjustment and resilience of children in welfare care, from the previously neglected perspective of former caregivers. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with N = 12 Swiss former caregivers. Participants were 10 females and 2 males, aged between 58–91 years (mean age = 74.5 years). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using framework analysis. Two themes emerged from the data on both the intrapersonal level (i.e., Core Characteristics, Coping), and interpersonal level (i.e., Caregiving Attitudes and Actions, Relationships and Attachment). Resilience hindering factors included emotion regulation difficulties, issues within the child-caregiver relationship (e.g., differential treatment, abuse and punitive measures, lack of affection and attachment), and placement disruptions. Resilience promoting factors included coping via creativity and imagination, and social and emotional support beyond the caregiver (e.g., siblings, animals). Results highlight key areas for action at the intra- and interpersonal levels, including psychotherapeutic interventions for children in care (e.g., addressing insecure attachment), and psychoeducation and mentoring programs to enhance caregiver reflective practices and improve care provision. Future research and practice should incorporate the caregiver perspective to develop the training and support for care staff and ensure the safeguarding of (current and future) children in welfare care.