The Moderating Role of Positive Caregiver Expectations on the Relationship Between Placement Instability and the Perceived Education and Employment Opportunities of Care Experienced Children

Background: Children in out-of-home care who experience placement instability are at a greater risk for negative outcomes, but protective factors such as positive caregiving can attenuate the effects of earlier adversity. Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between placement instability and perceived opportunities in a sample of pre-adolescent children in new episodes of out-of-home care in the United States. Research Design: Cross-sectional, baseline (pre-randomization) data from the Fostering Healthy Futures project was used in this study Study sample: The sample included 227 9-to 11-year-olds ( M = 10.25, SD = 0.91); 52% males, 48% females; 63% were in kinship foster care and 37% in non-relative foster care. Analysis: We first tested for an association between placement instability and children’s perceived educational and employment opportunities. We then examined the interaction between placement instability and positive caregiver expectations of children’s futures to assess its predictive association with perceived opportunities. Results: Placement instability was negatively associated with perceived opportunities in the initial model, however, this effect was only statistically significant with the inclusion of positive caregiver expectations as the interaction term. We found therefore that placement instability is a key risk factor for children having lower perceived educational and employment opportunities for the future, but our study highlights the potential for positive caregiver expectations as a protective factor. Conclusions: Positive caregiver expectations could be particularly important for children in non-relative foster care who are particularly prone to placement instability and a range of negative outcomes. The study highlights the importance of services that aim to reduce placement instability. Recommendations include the development of interventions that emphasise caregiver communication of positive expectations.