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Cited by 29Child Welfare and AdoptionHigher Education Research StudiesEducation and Military Integration

Exploring college student identity among young people with foster care histories and mental health challenges

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Miller, Rebecca, Blakeslee, Jennifer, Ison, Chanel·2020·Children and Youth Services Review
DOI 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104992PMC PMC7252951
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Abstract

Young adults with foster care histories experience unique barriers to success in postsecondary academic settings, including higher rates of mental health challenges. This study reports the perspectives of college students with foster care histories and self-identified mental health concerns (N=18) about how these factors relate to their post-secondary academic experiences. Study participants describe managing their mental health amid other academic and life stressors, share their perspectives on campus-based support and help-seeking experiences, and highlight the need for acknowledgement of their foster care identities in conjunction with their developing college student identities. Participants make a case for programming to help with managing challenges related to overwhelming emotions in response to compounding stressors, balancing self-reliance with help-seeking when needed, and developing interpersonal relationships that reduce feelings of otherness in the campus context. Recommendations for improving student experiences include mental health services provided by people familiar with the lived experience of foster care, access to foster student-specific programs providing social, emotional, and academic support, and campus-wide efforts improve the conditions for academic success in the face of difficult personal histories and elevated mental health challenges.

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  • A history of psychological stress paired with inadequate support presents in young adulthood as avoidant coping, even when help-seeking is perceived as a potentially effective strategy.

    “This helps explain what has been called “survivalist self-reliance” among young people exiting foster care (Samuels & Pryce, 2008), where a history of psychological stress paired with inadequate support presents in young adulthood as avoidant coping, even when help-seeking is perceived as a potentially effective strategy (Miller, Blakeslee, & Ison, 2020; Morton, 2018; Okpych & Courtney, 2018; Zinn”

    From Intervention development to improve foster youth mental health by targeting coping self-efficacy and help-seeking (2023) · cites this paper as Miller, Blakeslee, & Ison, 2020

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Miller, R., Blakeslee, J., & Ison, C.
Affiliations
Portland State University (US)
Corresponding author
Miller, Rebecca
Venue
Children and Youth Services Review
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-07
Volume
114
Pages
104992
ISSN
0190-7409 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104992
PMC
PMC7252951
OpenAlex
W3015484266
Cited by
29
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2020: 1
FWCI
3.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Children and Youth Services Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • PDXScholar (Portland State University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PDXScholar (Portland State University) (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Center for Mental Health Services (90RT5030)
  • National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
  • National Institutes of Health (TL4GM118965, UL1GM118964)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
  • Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
  • Social Sciences › Education › Education and Military Integration
Keywords
university students, student identity, mental illness, help-seeking, university support services, emotion regulation, otherness, young adults

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