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FOSTER PARENT SUPPORT AND REFUGEE YOUTHS’ ADAPTATION IN A NEW LAND: THE EXPERIENCE OF UNACCOMPANIED
SUDANESE MINORS.
Andy Saltarelli, Tom Luster, Meenal Rana, Laura Bates, Desiree Qin, Deborah Johnson, Katherine
Burdick and Diane Baird
Adaptation of Immigrants and Foster Children
Parents can play a protective role in immigrant adaptation (Sluzki, 1979; Suarez-Orozco, Todorova, & Qin, 2006)
Positive parent-child relations in foster care can be protective for children (Buehler et al., 2006)
Previous research on URMs has focused on trauma and deleterious effects of separation (Freud & Burlingham, 1943; Jeppsson, O., & Hjern, A., 2005; Ingleby, D., 2005)
Purpose of Study
To explore the role that the foster parent-child relationship had in helping URM Sudanese youth adjust to life in the United States.
Would youth seek and develop affective bonds after not having parents?
How would parent-child bonds contribute to the youths’ adaptation?
Overview of Presentation
1. Overview of resettlement and context of placement
1. Sudanese youths’ perspective 7 years after resettlement (n = 18)
1. Foster parents’ perspective (n = 15)
1. Discussion: Conclusions and implications
A Journey Through 4 Countries
Late 1980s separated from parents by civil war
Walked to Ethiopia 1991 Driven out of
Ethiopia 1991 Displacement
camps in Sudan 1992 Walked to Kenya 2000-2001 Came to U.S.
Bol Riiny’s Journey :: Google Earth
Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM)
“a person who is under the age of majority and not accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other person who by law or custom is responsible for him or her” (Ressler, Boothby & Steinbock, 1988, p. 7)
Afforded full protection under article 22.1 of UNHCR 1989 Convention
Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Foster Care Program
Established in 1979 – US Dept of State refers minors through a network of programs.
Best Interest Determination Interviews in Kenya Specialized foster care programs and services
including: Case Management Life Skills Classes Counseling Educational Advocacy Mentoring Socialization/Cultural Events
Serve youth from date of entry to 21st birthday. Educational expenses to 23rd birthday (varies by state).
Population and Sample
500 Sudanese unaccompanied minors resettled in U.S. foster care
89 in Lansing MI area 18 (20%) interviewed
about experiences in foster care 7 years after resettlement
Mean age 15 at resettlement
Mean age 22 at interview (range 18 to 26)
Recruiting Foster Families
Recruit Foster FamiliesChurches/Religious
Institutions, Newspaper, Radio, Refugee Communities
Provide Training Monthly ongoing
support to families and youth
Agency had limited knowledge of youth
Number of Placements
Of the 18 youth:8 had one placement and continued to have a
relationship with their foster parents5 lived with 2 foster families3 lived with 3 foster families2 moved to independent living after having a
falling out with their first foster family
In all, the 18 youth had 29 foster placements.
Current Relationship with Foster Parents
15 of 18 youth reported currently having a positive relationship with at least one FP
Many of those positive relationships developed in the second or third placement
“It’s just real, real, real wonderful, you know. It’s just, I connect finally better.”
Eventual Appreciation for Parents
“I kinda miss them and I appreciate the things they were doing for me…I wish I would have listened to them at least some part of it. And now that I don’t live with them, our relationship is very good, like you know, I just called mom for anything and I just tell her everything.” ~ Sudanese youth
Success among youth and foster families
High School Diplomas (18)
Bachelor’s Degrees (7) Community College
Programs (8) Master’s Program
Students (2 known) Citizenship Families, Children (4) Employment Long-term supportive
relationships A richer, more diverse
community
The Sudanese Youths’ Perspective
Youths’ Descriptions of the 29 Relationships
Positive relationship, instrumental support (n = 10)
Close relationship with affective ties (n = 13)
Not a Positive Relationship (n = 6)
Youths’ Descriptions of the 29 Relationships
Positive relationship, instrumental support (n = 10): “It was a good experience for me. In the morning,
(they) gave me a ride to school and when the school is done they brought me back home.”
Close relationship with affective ties (n = 13): “I did feel close to my foster parents…They treated
me like one of their sons and their kids made me feel that I am one of their brothers as well.”
Youths’ Descriptions of 29 Relationships
Not a Positive Relationship (n = 6): “My foster dad, he was just kind of a
mean person to us.”
Adaptation: Youths’ Perspective
What did your foster family do for you that you found helpful in adjusting to life in the US?
Help based on affective ties and relationship (n = 8)
Help based on instrumental within affective ties (n = 6)
Help based on instrumental support (n = 4)
Adaptation: Youths’ Perspective
Help based on affective ties and relationship (n = 8):
“We may be different in color but we are just all people…kids sometimes are kids…But, even with their children, it was the same thing [i.e. I was treated the same]. So, I just felt comfortable. And I feel like OK I have a family.”
“…she made me up today. That’s who like who I am. ..we just become connected, she did not say, ‘O these are not my real sons, so why should I bother.‘”
Adaptation: Youths’ Perspective
Help based on instrumental within affective ties (n = 6):
“so T was like, he was a father to make us understand America and make us good kids.”
“Them being there… trying to show me everything…it doesn’t matter what, whether they know it, but they were trying hard for my success.”
Adaptation: Youths’ Perspective
Help based on instrumental support (n = 4):
“I think the one thing was they were always telling me I should be saving money…and that’s pretty much [all] that I learned.” Money managementTransportationEducational accessAcculturation
Foster Parents’ Perspective:
Fostering Sudanese Refugee Youth
Parental Help in Adjustment
Tell me about what you did to help them make the transition to life in the US?
Deflecting Praise: Attributed to youths’ resilience Peers or other significant mentors Can’t control
Parental Help in Adjustment
Instrumental help: “You know, bank, opening up bank
accounts…talk about time management…just kind of like adjusting to life here in the US.” ~ foster momPrepare for independenceAcculturationEducational maintenance
Motivation to Become Foster Parents
Motivation for Becoming a Parent
Compelled by Story, Empathy: “…and I read about the Lost Boys in the
newspaper, and I just really felt moved that I needed to do something” ~ foster mom
Creating or Replacing Family: “My goal was never to be a revolving door…I
tell people they’re kids in need of a parent, and I’m a parent in need of kids” ~ foster dad
“…but I had a need really to parent more kids” ~ foster mom
Motivation for Becoming a Parent
Lifetime Commitment: “…a very common question I’d
receive is, well how long of a commitment is this? And my answer always was, it’s a commitment for life, that’s the way I view it” ~ foster dad
Parent’s Description of Relationship
Parent’s Description of Relationship
Parent-child relationship, affective ties:
“I developed a really loving relationship with them…J had some post-traumatic stress disorder…I tried to make it very clear that I loved him.” ~ foster mom
Parental Attachment: “Okay being upset showed you that I
was attached but it was like this is good news that their parents are alive, it’s not bad news, it’s really good news. ~ foster mom”
Current Relationships
Distant relationship or no relationship (4) Warm, friendly relationship (5)
Come home for holidays Call occasionally for help
Loving relationship, active parenting (5) Youth living with family, or returns there from
college Providing instrumental or emotional support Parenting grandchildren
FP Perspective: Challenges
Differing relational expectations: “You’d think there were things going fine
and then they up and do something like, ‘I wanna move’…you’re going like, ohh did I do…?” ~ foster mom
Struggle to connect, communication issues:
“I felt like I was always trying to make it in, to be accepted as a friend…there always was a wall even to this year.” ~ foster mom
FP Perspective: Challenges
Authority Issues: Related to cultural differences Related to mental health issues Typical teen issues Precocious autonomy…with your college age, when they come home in
the summer, you know you don’t have the same kinda rules you did when they were in high school, and that’s really more the kind of relationship ~ foster mom
Conclusions and Implications
Seek relationships and develop affective attachment after 10 years
Affective attachment key in URM adjustment
Implications for placement agencies Ability to seek out new placements usually
ended well Understand differing expectations of foster
parents and youth
Conclusions and Implications
“The major problem of being a child without a parent is that you always feel that you are missing something…that parental love from the family is not there. To me I missed that parental care. It made me feel that I am lost.”
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Sudanese youth and foster parents for sharing their experiences with us.
Support for this research was provided by: The Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station; Michigan State University Outreach and Engagement; The Department of Family and Child Ecology at MSU; Lutheran Social Services
DedicationDr. Tom Luster :: 1953--March 15, 2009
Tom Luster and Sisimayo Henry Sisimayo becomes a US citizen -- November 2006