Abstract
Research on young mothers in foster care focuses on the risks associated with pregnancy and parenting among these youth, with less attention paid to the contexts in which they parent. This narrative study examines how young mothers’ identities, parenting experiences, and parenting decisions are developed in several relational contexts. The analysis explores how relationships to self, to baby, to families of origin and friends, to their baby’s father, and to the child welfare system shape the transition to motherhood for young mothers in foster care in Illinois. Findings are the result of narrative analysis of data from a total of 40 in-depth interviews with 29 young mothers (N = 29 first interviews; N = 11 s interviews). Young mothers’ interpersonal relationships and child welfare system involvement both support and constrain their thriving as new mothers. This study makes a significant contribution to the research on pregnant and parenting youth in foster care, with major implications for trauma-informed child welfare practice, identifying appropriate resources and services for these young parents and their children, supporting both parent-child relationships and co-parenting relationships, and for future directions of scholarship on this population.
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Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as a part of the Illinois Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Care Home Visiting Pilot Study. The author extends gratitude to the young mothers who participated in this study and shared their important and moving stories of the transition to motherhood. The author further acknowledges the mentorship of the PI on the home visiting study, Dr. Amy Dworsky as well as the additional members of her dissertation committee and reactors, namely Drs. Sydney Hans (chair), Gina Fedock, Jon Korfmacher, Alida Bouris, and Mark Courtney for their support and guidance throughout the course of the study. Additionally, the author wishes to acknowledge colleagues and collaborators at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, particularly Elissa Gitlow. Finally, the author warmly acknowledges the invaluable community partnership with the Teen Parent Services Network and the 10 home visiting programs for their recruitment efforts and consultation.
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This research was funded by the Illinois Department of Children and Families.
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Ethier, K.L. Relationships to Self, Baby, Others, and System: A Narrative Analysis of the Transition to Parenthood for Young Mothers in Foster Care. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 39, 711–734 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-022-00846-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-022-00846-4