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Supportive Caseworkers, School Engagement, & Posttraumatic Symptoms Among Youth in Foster Care

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Abstract

The current study used a resilience framework to describe youth experiences with their caseworkers, examine the association of youth–caseworker relationship quality with school engagement, and to examine the differential impact of youth–caseworker relationships on youth school engagement by level of youth risk (i.e. posttraumatic symptoms). Secondary data collected from youth in foster care were analyzed via descriptive statistics, correlations, and linear regression with moderation. On average, youth reported relatively high relationship quality with caseworkers. There was substantial variation and developmental differences in youth–caseworker relationship quality. Additionally, current findings suggest that positive youth–caseworker relationships can bolster school engagement. Finally, the study provided support for differential impact theory whereby the influence of youth–caseworker relationships on youth school engagement was stronger for youth with fewer posttraumatic symptoms. Implications for research, intervention efforts, policy, and practice in child welfare, education, and mental health are discussed.

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Data Availability

Not available to share as the was a NIMH-funded study. Data are stored following necessary protocols and procedures.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH085438-01). The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the youth and families who participated in this study and the Principal Investigator, Dr. Lew Bank.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH085438-01).

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  1. Oregon State University-Cascades, Bend, USA

    Jamie Jaramillo & Brianne H. Kothari

  2. Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene, USA

    Jamie Jaramillo

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  1. Jamie Jaramillo
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Correspondence to Jamie Jaramillo.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Conceptual Model for Youth–Caseworker Relationship Quality

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Appendix 2: Conceptual Model for Research Questions

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Jaramillo, J., Kothari, B.H. Supportive Caseworkers, School Engagement, & Posttraumatic Symptoms Among Youth in Foster Care. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 39, 391–407 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-021-00749-w

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