Abstract
How do youth in foster care experience non-death loss? Drawing upon the theories of ambiguous loss, symbolic loss, and disenfranchised grief, this applied theoretical article integrates research findings to address how youth experience loss, grief, and trauma in foster care. Youth’s reports illustrate experiences of non-death loss, the impact of non-death loss on psychological and emotional well-being, and how non-death losses are disenfranchised and enfranchised within the foster care system. Recommendations are made that child welfare agencies consider how their practices and policies can be enhanced to meet the needs of grieving youth in foster care.
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Acknowledgements
My sincere gratitude to the youth participants, the research team, the funding agencies, and the article reviewers.
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The article is based on research funded by the South Carolina Department of Social Services and the John Templeton Foundation, through the Enhancing Life Project administered by the University of Chicago. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, the John Templeton Foundation, the Enhancing Life Project, or the University of Chicago.
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Mitchell, M.B. “No One Acknowledged My Loss and Hurt”: Non-death Loss, Grief, and Trauma in Foster Care. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 35, 1–9 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-017-0502-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-017-0502-8