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‘I’ve Always Managed on My Own’—Exploring Resilience Through the Voices of Children in Foster Care

Angelöw, Amanda LU orcid ; Hultman, Joel ; Lamberti Schonfeld, Alma ; Neander, Kerstin and Psouni, Elia LU orcid (2026) In Adversity and Resilience Science 7(13).
Abstract
There is a notable lack of resilience-focused research grounded in the perspectives of children currently in foster care. Therefore, the present study explored resilience processes through children’s own accounts, guided by two research questions: (1) How do children in foster care describe themselves, their relationships and their different important contexts? (2) How do children cope with the specific challenges they encounter? Twelve children (12–18 years old) were interviewed individually using the semi-structured Friends and Family Interview. Reflexive thematic analysis yielded three overarching themes: (1) Transition to foster care, (2) Navigating life, and (3) Trust and comfort in connections. These themes and their subthemes... (More)
There is a notable lack of resilience-focused research grounded in the perspectives of children currently in foster care. Therefore, the present study explored resilience processes through children’s own accounts, guided by two research questions: (1) How do children in foster care describe themselves, their relationships and their different important contexts? (2) How do children cope with the specific challenges they encounter? Twelve children (12–18 years old) were interviewed individually using the semi-structured Friends and Family Interview. Reflexive thematic analysis yielded three overarching themes: (1) Transition to foster care, (2) Navigating life, and (3) Trust and comfort in connections. These themes and their subthemes illustrate the complexity of resilience processes in children’s everyday lives. Support and the sense of belonging in the foster family, often expressed in ‘ordinary’ daily activities, seem to play an important role. Meanwhile, a recurring tension between autonomy and loneliness appears central. Not least, the burdening impact of placement disruptions is evident in the children’s accounts. Our findings underscore the importance of understanding children’s perspectives and inner worlds for informing well-tuned supportive practices. We discuss several practical implications such as access to psychological treatment and supporting children in maintaining connections with friends and adults outside the family. Promoting placement stability remains a key challenge for the foster care system. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Foster care, Resilience, Participatory research, Adolescence, Placement Stability
in
Adversity and Resilience Science
volume
7
issue
13
publisher
Springer Nature
external identifiers
  • scopus:105033812682
ISSN
2662-2424
DOI
10.1007/s42844-026-00210-w
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ba639292-6e02-45fb-bbfb-f7c558c5b1a9
date added to LUP
2026-03-18 10:18:58
date last changed
2026-07-06 04:00:57
@article{ba639292-6e02-45fb-bbfb-f7c558c5b1a9,
  abstract     = {{There is a notable lack of resilience-focused research grounded in the perspectives of children currently in foster care. Therefore, the present study explored resilience processes through children’s own accounts, guided by two research questions: (1) How do children in foster care describe themselves, their relationships and their different important contexts? (2) How do children cope with the specific challenges they encounter? Twelve children (12–18 years old) were interviewed individually using the semi-structured Friends and Family Interview. Reflexive thematic analysis yielded three overarching themes: (1) Transition to foster care, (2) Navigating life, and (3) Trust and comfort in connections. These themes and their subthemes illustrate the complexity of resilience processes in children’s everyday lives. Support and the sense of belonging in the foster family, often expressed in ‘ordinary’ daily activities, seem to play an important role. Meanwhile, a recurring tension between autonomy and loneliness appears central. Not least, the burdening impact of placement disruptions is evident in the children’s accounts. Our findings underscore the importance of understanding children’s perspectives and inner worlds for informing well-tuned supportive practices. We discuss several practical implications such as access to psychological treatment and supporting children in maintaining connections with friends and adults outside the family. Promoting placement stability remains a key challenge for the foster care system.}},
  author       = {{Angelöw, Amanda and Hultman, Joel and Lamberti Schonfeld, Alma and Neander, Kerstin and Psouni, Elia}},
  issn         = {{2662-2424}},
  keywords     = {{Foster care; Resilience; Participatory research; Adolescence; Placement Stability}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{13}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Nature}},
  series       = {{Adversity and Resilience Science}},
  title        = {{‘I’ve Always Managed on My Own’—Exploring Resilience Through the Voices of Children in Foster Care}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42844-026-00210-w}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s42844-026-00210-w}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}