Foster Parents' Parenting and the Social-Emotional Development and Adaptive Functioning of Children in Foster Care: A PRISMA-Guided Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Sabrina Chodura; Arnold Lohaus; Tabea Symanzik; Nina Heinrichs; Kerstin Konrad

doi:10.1007/s10567-020-00336-y

Foster Parents' Parenting and the Social-Emotional Development and Adaptive Functioning of Children in Foster Care: A PRISMA-Guided Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2021 Jun;24(2):326-347. doi: 10.1007/s10567-020-00336-y. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Authors

Sabrina Chodura^{1

2}, Arnold Lohaus³, Tabea Symanzik³, Nina Heinrichs⁴, Kerstin Konrad^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany. sabrina.chodura@uni-bielefeld.de.
² Department of Psychology, WU Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, University of Bielefeld, P.O. Box 10 01 31, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany. sabrina.chodura@uni-bielefeld.de.
³ Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
⁴ Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
⁵ Child Neuropsychology Section, Dept. for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
⁶ JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Juelich, Germany.

Abstract

Children in foster care (CFC) are at increased risk for negative developmental outcomes. Given the potential influence of foster parents' parenting on the development of CFC, this literature review and meta-analysis provide an initial overview of how parenting factors in foster families relate to CFC's developmental outcomes. We aimed to explore (1) whether foster parents' parenting conceptualizations are related differently to various CFC developmental outcome variables and (2) how characteristics of foster parents and CFC moderate these associations. Following the recommendations of the PRISMA statement, we searched four databases in 2017 (with an update in May 2020). Forty-three primary studies were coded manually. The interrater agreement was 92.1%. Parenting variables were specified as parenting behavior, style, and goals and were distinguished further into functional and dysfunctional parenting. CFC development was divided into adaptive (including cognitive) development and maladaptive development. Meta-analyses could be performed for foster parenting behavior and developmental outcomes, as well as for functional parenting goals and maladaptive socioemotional outcomes in CFC. Associations between functional parenting behavior and adaptive child development were positive and negative for maladaptive child development, respectively. For dysfunctional, parenting effects were in the opposite direction. All effects were small to moderate. Similar results were found descriptively in the associations of parenting style and child developmental outcomes. We found similar effect sizes and directions of the associations between parenting behavior in foster families and the child's developmental outcomes as those previously reported for biological families. These findings provide strong support for the significant role of parenting in foster families regarding children's development in foster care.

Keywords: Child development; Foster child development; Foster children; Foster parents; Literature review; Meta-analysis; Parenting.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Child
Child Behavior Disorders*
Child Development
Foster Home Care
Humans
Parenting*
Parents