The psychological experiences of foster mothers of adolescent children |
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| Authors: | Keolebogile Betty Mosimege Frederik Snyders |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Psychology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | The present study explored the psychological experiences of foster mothers who were fostering adolescents abandoned by their biological parents and whose parents had passed away. A purposive sample of 20 foster mothers (age range 25 to 83 years) was informants. They completed semi-structured interviews on their experiences of providing care to foster children. Thematic analysis of the data revealed the following themes: structure of the support system, crisis management, relationships management, and resilience with spirituality as coping mechanisms. Foster parenting of adolescent children requires qualities of perseverance, love, humility, and faith in carers. |
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| Keywords: | foster care foster child foster mother relationships resilience spirituality |
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