@article{ref1,
title=""You think lots of love will heal the child, but it requires a lifetime of patience". Foster parents' intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles",
journal="Child abuse and neglect",
year="2024",
author="Solvi, Anette S. and Råbu, Marit and Røseth, Idun",
volume="154",
number="",
pages="e106947-e106947",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Foster parents can be placed under significant demands when caring for foster children with extensive needs. Coming to terms with the challenges they have to face can be a daunting prospect. To examine foster parents' experiences is vital with a view to enhancing their resilience amid sustained demands and improving the professional support offered to them. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: This study explores foster parents' lived experience of caring for foster children with mental illness and attachment difficulties. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Twenty-two foster parents, caring for foster children aged 2-17, were recruited from a mental health clinic providing assessment and treatment to children. <br><br>METHODS: In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological psychological approach. <br><br>RESULTS: Our analysis revealed four interrelated constituents describing the foster parents' experiences: 1) Wanting to help a child, 2) Adjustments were harder than expected, 3) Sacrifices and suppression of needs, and 4) Commitment and love mixed with ambivalence. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The findings highlight that being a foster parent for children with mental illness and attachment difficulties demands heightened patience, knowledge and understanding. It also involves a substantial emotional investment. This underscores the importance of addressing feelings of love, shame, and guilt in this context. Balancing the needs of the foster child with the well-being of the foster family can be challenging. Foster parents may need extensive support from professionals who are familiar with their unique circumstances to increase their feeling of self-efficacy and reduce ambivalent feelings regarding their role as caregivers.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0145-2134",
doi="10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106947",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106947"
}