On My Own: The Experience of Youth Who Have Successfully Transitioned Out of Foster Care

Abstract

The transition out of foster care into adulthood can be a challenging experience for youth leaving the foster care system. I sought to understand the experience of youth who had successfully transitioned out of foster care. The specific research question guiding this study was “How do former foster youth make sense of and understand their successful transition out of foster care?” Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, I conducted and analyzed semi-structured interviews with six former foster youth (five females and one male; three Caucasians, two First Nations, and one Middle Eastern), ranging in age from 19 to 32 years. Five overarching themes (Challenges, Coping Strategies, Identity Changes, and Perspectives on the Transition), encompassing 16 superordinate themes, and 19 subthemes, emerged. I discussed these findings in the context of relevant literature and presented their implications for clinical practice and future research.