The Foster Care Experience And Regulation Of Behavior And Emotion

Mary DozierChildren in foster care are at risk for emotional and behavioral regulation issues (Armsden, Pecora, Payne, & Szatkiewicz, 2000; McIntyre & Keesler, 1986). This may be because of the experience of foster care itself, which often includes unsafe environments and many transitions (Harden, 2004, Newton, Litrownik & Lansverk, 2000). While the current literature has found associations between selfregulation and specific elements of foster care (Lewis, Dozier, Ackerman & Sepulveda-Kozakowski, 2007; Newton, Litrownik & Lansverk, 2000; Oosterman, Schuengel, Bullens & Doreleijers, 2007), to date no study has used an observational measure of regulation or looked at traumatic reasons for removal. The current study examined associations between observed emotional and behavioral regulation in young foster children and their experiences in foster care. Documented experiences in foster care included age removed from biological parents, number of placements, time in current placement, permanency of placement, kinship caregiving, and traumatic reasons for removal from biological parents. Significant associations were found between all of the aforementioned foster care experiences and emotional and behavioral regulation abilities. The findings of this study indicate that factors contributing to a more unstable and traumatic experience in foster care are associated with poor ability to regulate emotion and behavior.Psychological & Brain Science