Reproductive Health and Well-Being in Foster Youth Aging out: What We Don't Know…

The Foster Care Independence Act (1999) mandates all states to provide yearly data to the US. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on foster youth outcomes and to be responsible for preparing emancipating youth to becoming independent and fully functional adults by age 18.  Paradoxically, the variety of outcome measures collected from foster youth centers around what can be called a “deficit” view with a main focus on issues such as homelessness, teen parenting, incarceration, high-risk behaviors, mental health issues, low educational attainment, high unemployment, and so on.  The current literature on foster youth frequently reminds us of their challenges, but what we don’t hear often are those life stories that reflect resiliency and positive developmental trajectories. Indeed, only a handful of studies have provided some insights about the long-term effect of coping and life skills as well as strong networks to support a healthy transition into adulthood among foster youth. The proposed study examines protective factors that support reproductive health and well-being changes in mostly ethnic/racial minority foster youth (N=267) preparing to transition out of the care system state-wide in Texas. The following outcome measures are examined for well-being: self-care, work and study life, career and education planning, and looking forward, and the following outcome measures for reproductive health: age of first sex, self-efficacy for limiting sexual risks, and sexual risks norms-expectations. The study aims are twofold. First, using a pre-post design after an 8 week intervention and 6 and 12 months follow-up we examine longitudinal changes in well-being and reproductive health outcomes. Second, we examine the effect of well-being on reproductive health outcomes at 6 months and 12 months. Preliminary results show significant correlations between well-being and reproductive health in the expected direction. Results from pre-post intervention test analyses show statistically significant changes/improvements in well—being and reproductive health outcomes post the 8 week intervention. Reliability estimates for all measures ranged from α=.67 to α=.93 across all measures in pre-post evaluations. Data for the 6 and 12 months follow-ups are in the process of being collected. Additional analyses will include repeated measures ANOVAs to further examine the longitudinal effectiveness of the intervention as well as regression analyses to examine the association of well-being with reproductive health over time. Study results will be discussed in terms of scholarly implications for existing literature and practical implications for practitioners and professionals working with foster youth, policy makers, educators, and caregivers.