Youth in foster care experience high rates of social, emotional, and behavioral challenges that are complicated by trauma and grief. To address these concerns, the current intervention study examines the efficacy of a newly developed peer grief support program, the L.Y.G.H.T. program, for youth in foster care, using an embedded sequential mixed methods design. Forty-two youth residing in three separate foster care group homes (“community sites”) in a southeastern state participated in this study. Youth were randomly assigned to either the treatment program or a waitlist control group. Baseline and post-intervention (after 6 weeks) assessments of the Children’s Hope Scale, the Inventory of Social Support, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Self Report were administered. After each weekly group, participants completed a survey to assess trauma-informed program environment and facilitators completed a survey to assess fidelity to the intervention. Focus groups (n = 3) were conducted at each of the community sites after the post-intervention assessments were completed. To examine program impact, we evaluated whether increases in well-being (i.e., social support, hopefulness, and self-worth) and decreases in total problem behaviors would be found for participants in the treatment group. Social support, hopefulness, and self-worth increased and total problems remained the same for youth in the treatment program. Large effects were found for program helpfulness, a trauma-informed program environment, and reduction in perceived problems. Focus group feedback explained why youth were initially interested in the program, perceived program benefits, program dislikes, barriers to program participation, recommendation of the program, and additional feedback. The findings suggest that the L.Y.G.H.T. program is an efficacious intervention which addresses loss and grief and enhances the well-being of youth in foster care who are grieving.

寄养中的青少年经历了高比例的社会、情感和行为挑战，这些挑战因创伤和悲伤而变得复杂。为了解决这些问题，目前的干预研究使用嵌入式顺序混合方法设计检查了新开发的同伴悲伤支持计划 LYGHT 计划对寄养青年的有效性。居住在东南部一个州的三个独立寄养家庭（“社区场所”）中的 42 名青年参与了这项研究。青少年被随机分配到治疗计划或候补名单对照组。对儿童希望量表、社会支持清单、罗森伯格自尊量表以及优势和困难问卷-自我报告进行基线和干预后（6 周后）评估。每周分组结束后，参与者完成了一项调查，以评估了解创伤的计划环境，而促进者完成了一项调查，以评估对干预措施的忠诚度。干预后评估完成后，在每个社区站点进行了焦点小组（n = 3）。为了检验项目的影响，我们评估了治疗组参与者的幸福感（即社会支持、希望和自我价值）是否会增加，总体问题行为是否会减少。社会支持、希望和自我价值增加了​​，接受治疗的青少年的总问题保持不变。发现项目的帮助性、创伤知情的项目环境和减少感知问题的影响很大。焦点小组的反馈解释了为什么年轻人最初对这个项目感兴趣，感知到的项目收益、项目不喜欢、项目参与的障碍、项目的推荐和额外的反馈。研究结果表明，LYGHT 计划是一种有效的干预措施，可以解决失去和悲伤的问题，并提高寄养中悲伤的青少年的福祉。