The concept of family: perceptions of adults who were in long-term out-of-home care as children.
The author presents findings from a study in which adults fostered as children identified current family members. Those who included biological parents among their family members reported conflicted relationships, but also spoke of love. In contrast, those who omitted their biological parents seemed angrier, were more likely to have been abused, and were visited less by their biological parents. Those who included their foster parents described feeling loved, said they were not discriminated against, and received ongoing support after leaving care. Those who omitted members of their foster families overwhelmingly described feeling unloved and uncared for; said they were abused, devalued, and discriminated against; and received no continuing support.
Gardner
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Graduate School of Education, Latrobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000786:Anger; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011287:Prejudice; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*