Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Applying Social and Cultural Capital Frameworks: Understanding Employment Perspectives of Transition Age Youth with Serious Mental Health Conditions

  • Published:
The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Vulnerable transition age youth, such as those in foster care and with serious mental health conditions, are at increased risk for lower rates of employment. Social capital is empirically linked to employment in the general population, yet little is known about the role of social capital in employment for at-risk transition age youth. Focus groups were conducted with young people with serious mental health conditions and their vocational specialists. Discussions reveal that both social and cultural capital influence employment processes. Those with employment experience value the motivation to work provided through others compared to those with no employment experience. Consistently employed describe strong working relationships with vocational specialists and possession of self-awareness, professionalism, and work-place knowledge as critical for employment success, while inconsistently employed describe worries about controlling emotions or behaviors on the job. Building social and cultural capital are explored as potential service provider goals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. McCoy-Roth M, Freundlich M, Ross T. Number of Youth Aging out of Foster Care Continues to Rise; Increasing 64 percent since 1999. Fostering Connections Resource Center, Analysis No. 1, 2010. Available at: http://www.fosteringconnections.org/tools/assets/files/Connections_Agingout.pdf. Accessed on June 3, 2011.

  2. McMillen JC, Zima BT, Scott LD, et al. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among older youths in the foster care system. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2005; 44(1):88–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Gralinski-Baker JH, Hauser ST, Billings RL, et al. Risks along the road to adulthood: challenges faced by youth with serious mental disorders. In: Osgood DW, Foster FE, Flanagan C, et al (eds). On Your Own Without a Net: The Transition to Adulthood for Vulnerable Populations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005, pp. 272–303.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Mortimer JT, Harley C, Aronson P. How do prior experiences in the workplace set the stage for transitions to adulthood? In: A Booth, AC Crouter, MJ Shanahan (eds). Transitions to Adulthood in a Changing Economy: No work, No Family, No Future? Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999, pp. 131–159.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Collins ME. Transition to adulthood for vulnerable youths: a review of the research and implications for policy. The Social Service Review 2001; 75(2):271–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Lyman RD, Campbell NR. Treating Children and Adolescents in Residential Settings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Wells K, Whittington D. Characteristics of youth referred to residential treatment: implications for program design. Children and Youth Services Review 1993; 15(3):195–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Haber MG, Karpur A, Deschenes N, et al. Predicting improvement of transitioning young people in the partnerships for youth transition initiative: findings from a multisite demonstration. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 2008; 35(4):488–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Karpur A., Caproni, HB, Sterner H. Transition to adult roles for students with emotional/behavioral disturbances: a follow-up study of student exiters from Steps-to-Success. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals 2005; 28(1):36–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Davis M, Vander Stoep A. The Transition to Adulthood among Adolescents who have Serious Emotional Disturbances: At Risk for Homelessness. Delmar, NY: National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hook JL, Courtney ME. Employment of Former Foster Youth as Young Adults: Evidence from the Midwest Study. Chicago: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Coleman JS. Foundations of Social Theory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hurlburt JS, Beggs JJ, Haines VA. Distinctiveness and disadvantage among the urban poor: is low network capital really the problem? In: Hsung R, Lin N, Brieger RL (eds). Contexts of Social Capital: Social Networks in Markets, Communities, and Families. New York: Routledge, 2009, pp. 244–273.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Granovetter MS. The strength of weak ties. The American Journal of Sociology 1973; 78 (6):1360–1380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Flap H, Boxman E. Getting started: the influence of social capital on the start of the occupational career. In: Lin N, Cook K, Burt R (eds). Social Capital: Theory and Research. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 2001, pp. 159–184.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Bourdieu P. (1986) The forms of capital. In: Richardson J (ed). Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. New York: Greenwood, 1986, pp. 241–258.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Collins R. A micro–macro theory of intellectual creativity: the case of German idealistic philosophy. Sociological Theory 1987; 5:47–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Gouldner A. The Future of Intellectuals or the Rise of the New Class. New York: Seabury, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Potts B. Disability and employment: considering the importance of social capital. The Journal of Rehabilitation 2005; 71(3):20–25.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Courtney ME. Describing the problem: outcomes for older youth exiting the foster care system in the U.S. In: Kerman, B, Maluccio AB, and Freundlich MM (ed). Achieving Permanence for Older Children and Youth in Foster Care. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009, pp. 40–74.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Perry BL. Understanding social network disruption: the case of youth in foster care. Social Problems 2006; 53(3):371–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). Young Adults with Serious Mental Illness: Some States and Federal Agencies are taking Steps to address their Transition Challenges. Report 08-678, Washington, D.C, 2008.

  23. Pepper B, Kirshner MC, Ryglewicz H. The young adult chronic patient: overview of a population. Psychiatric Services 2000; 51(8):996–1000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Wagner M, Newman L, Cameto R, et al. The Academic Achievement and Functional Performance of Youth with Disabilities. A Report of Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Kitzinger J. The methodology of focus groups: the importance of interaction between research participants. Sociology of Health & Illness 1994; 16(1):103–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Bond GR, Drake RE, Becker DR. An update on randomized controlled trails of evidence-based supported employment. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal 2008; 31:280–290.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Bond GR, Resnick SG, Drake RE, et al. Does competitive employment improve nonvocational outcomes for people with severe mental illness? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2001; 69(3):489–501.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Campbell K, Bond GR, Drake RE. Who benefits from supported employment: a meta-analytic study. Schizophrenia Bulletin 2009; 37:370–380.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Becker DR, Drake E. A Working Life for People with Severe Mental Illness. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  30. Rubin HJ, Rubin LS. Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Vaughn S, Schumm JS, Sinagub J. Focus Group Interviews in Education and Psychology. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  32. American Psychiatric Association (APA). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed, text rev). Washington, DC: Author, 2000.

  33. Morse JM, Pooler C. Analysis of videotaped data: methodological considerations. International Journal of Qualitative Method 2002; 1(4):Article 5.

  34. Huck SW, Sandler HM. Rival Hypotheses: Alternative Interpretations of Data-Based Conclusions. New York: Harper and Row, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Barth RP. On their own: the experiences of youth after foster care. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 1990; 7(5):419–440.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Samuels GM. A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime: Relational Permanence among Young Adults with Foster Care Backgrounds. Chicago: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Corrigan, P.W., & Phelan, S.M. (2004). Social support and recovery in people with serious mental illnesses. Community Mental Health Journal, 40, 513–523.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Samuels GM, Pryce JM. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger: survivalist self-reliance as resilience and risk among young adults aging out of foster care. Children and Youth Services Review 2008; 30(10):1198–1210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Hollander JA. The social contexts of focus groups. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 2004; 33:602–637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Kools SM. Self-protection in adolescents in foster care. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing 1999; 12(4):139–152.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Bruno L. Teaching Soft Skills through Workplace Simulations in Classroom Settings. American Institutes for Research, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U.S. Department of Labor. 2010. Available at: http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/TeachingSoftSkills.pdf Accessed on June 3, 2011.

Download references

Conflicts of interest

None

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thresholds-Dartmouth Research Center, Thresholds Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centers, 4423 N. Ravenswood, Chicago, IL, 60613, USA

    Vanessa Vorhies MSSW, Kristin E. Davis PhD, Rochelle L. Frounfelker MPH, MSSW & Susan M. Kaiser MPH

Authors
  1. Vanessa Vorhies MSSW
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kristin E. Davis PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rochelle L. Frounfelker MPH, MSSW
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Susan M. Kaiser MPH
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vanessa Vorhies MSSW.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Vorhies, V., Davis, K.E., Frounfelker, R.L. et al. Applying Social and Cultural Capital Frameworks: Understanding Employment Perspectives of Transition Age Youth with Serious Mental Health Conditions. J Behav Health Serv Res 39, 257–270 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-012-9274-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-012-9274-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation