Abstract
The purpose was to assess the impact of a mobile mental health literacy training on foster parents’ perceived stress, resilience, and self-compassion. Participants (n = 142) completed a baseline and post-intervention survey including a demographic questionnaire, brief resilience scale, self-compassion scale-short, and the perceived stress scale. Participants completed the 5-hour Sharpen® Mental Health Literacy training. There was a statistically significant correlation between self-compassion and resilience (r = 0.75), as well as a significant negative relationship between perceived stress and resilience (r = -0.40) and self-compassion (r = -0.36). There was not a statistically significant difference in outcome variables pre- to post-test. Although not statistically significant, there were decreases in stress and increases in self-compassion and resilience from pre- to post-test. Key themes from open-ended responses throughout the training included goals for participating in the training, impact of stigma, stress management practices, and key training take-aways.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander, K. (2018). Integrative review of the relationship between mindfulness-based parenting interventions and depression symptoms in parents. Journal of Obstetric Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 47(2), 184–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2017.11.013.
Amsalem, D., & Martin, A. (2022). Reducing depression-related stigma and increasing treatment seeking among adolescents: Randomized controlled trial of a brief video intervention. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63(2), 210–217. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13427.
Andreou, E., Alexopoulos, E. C., Lionis, C., Varvogli, L., Gnardellis, C., Chrousos, G. P., & Darviri, C. (2011). Perceived stress scale: Reliability and validity study in Greece. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8(8), 3287–3298. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph8083287. PMID: 21909307.
Bergsund, H. B., Wentzel-Larsen, T., & Jacobsen, H. (2020). Parenting stress in long‐term foster carers: A longitudinal study. Child & Family Social Work, 25, 53–62. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12713.
Blythe, S. L., Wilkes, L., & Halcomb, E. J. (2014). The foster carers experience: An integrative review. Collegian (Royal College of Nursing, Australia), 21, 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2012.12.
Bywater, T., & Sharples, J. (2017). Effective evidence-based interventions for emotional well-being: Lessons for policy and practice. In Emotional well-being in educational policy and practice (pp. 7–26). Routledge.
Carew, N. M. (2016). Secondary traumatic stress and the foster parenting experience: Exploring factors associated with the prevalence of secondary traumatic stress in foster parents caring for children who have experienced trauma. Michigan State University.
Chipungu, S. S., & Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2004). Meeting the challenges of contemporary foster care. The Future of Children, 75–93. https://doi.org/10.2307/1602755.
Choi, B., Kim, H., & Huh-Yoo, J. (2021). Seeking mental health support among college students in video-based social media: Content and statistical analysis of YouTube videos. JMIR Formative Research, 5(11), e31944. https://doi.org/10.2196/31944.
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 385–396. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404.
Cooley, M. E., Thompson, H. M., & Wojciak, A. S. (2017). Risk, resilience, and complexity: Experiences of foster parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 76, 35–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.02.030.
DeVooght, K., Trends, C., & Blazey, D. (2013). Family foster care reimbursement rates in the U.S. (Publication # 2013–19). Retrieved from https://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Foster-Care-Payment-Rate-Report.pdf.
Dorsey, S., Farmer, E. M., Barth, R. P., Greene, K. M., Reid, J., & Landsverk, J. (2008). Current status and evidence base of training for foster and treatment foster parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 30(12), 1403–1416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.04.008.
Doughty, M. (2017). Foster parents are first responders. Foster Focus, 7(5/6), Retrieved from https://www.fosterfocusmag.com/articles/foster-parents-are-first-responders.
Dworsky, A., & Gitlow, E. (2017). Employment outcomes of young parents who age out of foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 72, 133–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.09.032.
Eklund, M., Bäckström, M., & Tuvesson, H. (2014). Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Swedish version of the perceived stress scale. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 68(7), 494–499. https://doi.org/10.3109/08039488.2013.877072. PMID: 24460116.
Felder, J. N., Lemon, E., Shea, K., Kripke, K., & Dimidjian, S. (2016). Role of self-compassion in psychological well-being among perinatal women. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 19(4), 687–690. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0628-2.
Foster Care and Education National Work Group (2014). Research highlights on education and foster care. Retrieved from http://www.fostercareandeducation.org/.
Gabler, S., Kungl, M., Bovenschen, I., Lang, K., Zimmermann, J., Nowacki, K., & Spangler, G. (2018). Predictors of foster parents’ stress and associations to sensitivity in the first year after placement. Child Abuse & Neglect, 79, 325–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.02.009.
Goemans, A., van Geel, M., & Vedder, P. (2018). Foster children’s behavioral development and foster parent stress: Testing a transactional model. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27, 990–1001. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0941-z.
Gouveia, M. J., Carona, C., Canavarro, M. C., & Moreira, H. (2016). Self-compassion and dispositional mindfulness are associated with parenting styles and parenting stress: The mediating role of mindful parenting. Mindfulness, 7(3), 700–712. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0507-y.
Greeno, E. J., Lee, B. R., Uretsky, M. C., Moore, J. E., Barth, R. P., & Shaw, T. V. (2016). Effects of a foster parent training intervention on child behavior, caregiver stress, and parenting style. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 1991–2000. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0357-6.
Greeson, J. K. (2013). Foster youth and the transition to adulthood: The theoretical and conceptual basis for natural mentoring. Emerging Adulthood, 1(1), 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696812467780.
Harding, L., Murray, K., Shakespeare-Finch, J., & Frey, R. (2018). High stress experienced in the foster and kin carer role: Understanding the complexities of the carer and child in context. Children and Youth Services Review, 95, 316–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.11.004.
Jefferson, F. A., Shires, A., & McAloon, J. (2020). Parenting self-compassion: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 11, 2067–2088. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01401-x.
Kaasbøll, J., Lassemo, E., Paulsen, V., Melby, L., & Osborg, S. O. (2019). Foster parents’ needs, perceptions and satisfaction with foster parent training: A systematic literature review. Children and Youth Services Review, 101, 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.03.041.
Killilea, J. P. (2012). Leveraging mobile devices for asynchronous learning: Best practices.
Konijn, C., Admiraal, S., Baart, J., Van Rooij, F., Stams, G. J., Colonnesi, C., & Assink, M. (2019). Foster care placement instability: A meta-analytic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 96, 483–499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.12.002.
Lanigan, J. D., & Burleson, E. (2017). Foster parents’ perspectives regarding the transition of a new placement into their home: An exploratory study. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(3), 905–915. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0597-0.
Lathren, C. R., Rao, S. S., Park, J., & Bluth, K. (2021). Self-compassion and current close interpersonal relationships: A sco** literature review. Mindfulness, 12, 1078–1093. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01566-5.
Lesage, F. X., Berjot, S., & Deschamps, F. (2012). Psychometric properties of the French versions of the perceived stress scale. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 25(2), 178–184. PMID: 22528542. https://doi.org/10.2478/S13382-012-0024-8.
Long, S. J., Evans, R. E., Fletcher, A., Hewitt, G., Murphy, S., Young, H., & Moore, G. F. (2017). Comparison of substance use, subjective well-being and interpersonal relationships among young people in foster care and private households: A cross sectional analysis of the School Health Research Network survey in Wales. British Medical Journal Open, 7(2), e014198. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014198.
Lotty, M., Bantry-White, E., & Dunn-Galvin, A. (2021). Trauma-informed care psychoeducational group-based interventions for foster carers and adoptive parents: A narrative review. Adoption & Fostering, 45(2), 191–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/03085759211012492.
Mancinelli, E., Dell’Arciprete, G., & Salcuni, S. (2021). A systematic review on foster parents’ psychological adjustment and parenting style—an evaluation of foster parents and foster children variables. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(20), 10916. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010916.
Miller, A. E., Green, T. D., & Lambros, K. M. (2019). Foster parent self-care: A conceptual model. Children and Youth Services Review, 99, 107–114.
Miller, J. J., Cooley, M. E., & Mihalec-Adkins, B. P. (2022). Examining the impact of COVID-19 on parental stress: A study of foster parents. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00725-w.
Mitchell, M. B., & Kuczynski, L. (2010). Does anyone know what is going on? Examining children’s lived experience of the transition into foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(3), 437–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.10.023.
Neff, K. D. (2003). Development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2, 223–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309027.
Neff, K. D., Tóth-Király, I., Knox, M. C., Kuchar, A., & Davidson, O. (2021). The development and validation of the state self-compassion scale (long-and short form). Mindfulness, 12(1), 121–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01505-4.
Orme, J. G., & Buehler, C. (2001). Foster family characteristics and behavioral and emotional problems of foster children: A narrative review. Family Relations, 50(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2001.00003.x.
Prince-Embury, S., & Saklofske, D. H. (Eds.). (2012). Resilience in children, adolescents, and adults: Translating research into practice (Vol. 12). Springer Science & Business Media.
Raes, F., Pommier, E., Neff, K. D., & Van Gucht, D. (2011). Construction and factorial validation of a short form of the self-compassion scale. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 18(3), 250–255. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.702.
Rolock, N., & White, K. R. (2016). Post-permanency discontinuity: A longitudinal examination of outcomes for foster youth after adoption or guardianship. Children and Youth Services Review, 70, 419–427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.10.025.
Scherr, T. G. (2007). Educational experiences of children in foster care: Meta-analyses of special education, retention and discipline rates. School Psychology International, 28(4), 419–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034307084133.
Schoemaker, N. K., Wentholt, W. G., Goemans, A., Vermeer, H. J., Juffer, F., & Alink, L. R. (2020). A meta-analytic review of parenting interventions in foster care and adoption. Development and Psychopathology, 32(3), 1149–1172. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579419000798.
Seaberg, J. R., & Harrigan, M. P. (1999). Foster families’ functioning, experiences and views: Variations by race. Children and Youth Services Review, 21(1), 31–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0190-7409(99)00004-3.
Semanchin Jones, A., Rittner, B., & Affronti, M. (2016). Foster parent strategies to support the functional adaptation of foster youth. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 10(3), 255–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2016.1148092.
Shah, M. F., Liu, Q., Eddy, M., Barkan, J., Marshall, S., Mancuso, D., & Huber, D., A (2017). Predicting homelessness among emerging adults aging out of foster care. American Journal of Community Psychology, 60(1–2), 33–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12098.
Smith, B. W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The brief resilience scale: Assessing the ability to bounce back. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15(3), 194–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705500802222972.
Smith, B. W., Epstein, E. M., Ortiz, J. A., Christopher, P. J., & Tooley, E. M. (2013). The foundations of resilience: What are the critical resources for bouncing back from stress? Resilience in children, adolescents, and adults: Translating Research into Practice, 167–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4939-3_13.
Storer, H. L., Barkan, S. E., Sherman, E. L., Haggerty, K. P., & Mattos, L. M. (2012). Promoting relationship building and connection: Adapting an evidence-based parenting program for families involved in the child welfare system. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(9), 1853–1861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.05.017.
Strout, K. A., & Howard, E. P. (2012). The six dimensions of wellness and cognition in aging adults. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 30(3), 195–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898010112440883.
Sullivan, K. M., Murray, K. J., & Ake, I. I. I., G. S (2016). Trauma-informed care for children in the child welfare system: An initial evaluation of a trauma-informed parenting workshop. Child Maltreatment, 21(2), 147–155. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559515615961.
Thompson, H., McPherson, S., & Marsland, L. (2016). Am I damaging my own family?’: Relational changes between foster carers and their birth children. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 21(1), 48–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104514554310.
Tunno, A. M. (2015). Assessing foster parent factors that predict placement disruption of youth in foster care (Doctoral dissertation). University of Kansas. Retrieved from https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/19557.
Turney, K., & Wildeman, C. (2016). Mental and physical health of children in foster care. Pediatrics, 138(5), https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1118.
Vanderfaeillie, J., Van Holen, F., Vanschoonlandt, F., Robberechts, M., & Stroobants, T. (2013). Children placed in long-term family foster care: A longitudinal study into the development of problem behavior and associated factors. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(4), 587–593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.12.012.
Vanderwill, L. A., Salazar, A. M., Jenkins, G., Larwelle, J., McMahon, A. K., Day, A., & Haggerty, K. (2021). Systematic literature review of foster and adoptive caregiver factors for increasing placement stability and permanency. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 15(4), 487–527. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2020.1760176.
Whenan, R., Oxlad, M., & Lushington, K. (2009). Factors associated with foster carer well-being, satisfaction and intention to continue providing out-of-home care. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(7), 752–760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.02.001.
Whitley, R., Sitter, K. C., Adamson, G., & Carmichael, V. (2020). Can participatory video reduce mental Illness stigma? Results from a Canadian action-research study of feasibility and impact. Bmc Psychiatry, 20(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-2429-4.
Winkler, P., Janoušková, M., Kožený, J., Pasz, J., Mladá, K., Weissová, A., & Evans-Lacko, S. (2017). Short video interventions to reduce mental health stigma: A multi-centre randomised controlled trial in nursing high schools. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52, 1549–1557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-017-1449-y.
Younes, M. N., & Harp, M. (2007). Addressing the impact of foster care on biological children and their families. Child Welfare, 86(4), 21–40. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45400408.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Biber, D. The Impact of an mHealth Mental Health Literacy Training for Foster Parents Prepared for Trends in Psychology. Trends in Psychol. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-023-00348-x
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-023-00348-x