This transformative mixed methods study explored the experience of young adults transitioning out of foster care participating in Project PATH, a tailored job search intervention. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from 23 former fostered youth who participated in Project PATH, examining changes in levels of anxiety, job search self-efficacy, and employment hope. Participants engaged in a 10-session workshop containing vital elements of job search. Results demonstrated that there were notable differences in levels of self-efficacy post-intervention. It appears that participation in job search workshops can aid with increasing job search self-efficacy (p = .02), allowing transitioning fostered youth to feel more confident in their ability to learn job search tasks. The qualitative data analysis revealed several key themes: emotional regulation, professional preparation, the sense of mattering, and the value of simulation practice. The findings of this research inform interventions for community agencies and other group specialists working with transitioning young adults.
BlusteinD. L.KennyM. E.AustinK.DuffyR. (2019). The psychology of working in practice: A theory of change for a new era. Career Development Quarterly, 67(3), 236–254. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12193
3.
CardelloL.WrightG. G. (2024). Infusing trauma-informed care in career counseling: Promising practices and a proposed framework. Trauma Counseling and Resilience, 1(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.33470/2997-7088.1015
ClarkeA.AmundsonN.NilesS.YoonH. J. (2018). Action-oriented hope: An agent of change for internationally educated professionals. Journal of Employment Counseling, 55(4), 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1002/joec.12095
6.
CmarJ.McDonnallM. (2019). Effectiveness of a job search training program for youth with visual impairments. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 42(4), 214–224. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165143418792238
7.
ColaizziP. F. (1978). Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it. In ValleR. S.KingM. (Eds.), Existential-phenomenological alternatives for psychology (pp. 48–71). Oxford University Press.
8.
CourtneyM. E.DworskyA.LeeJ.RaapM. (2011). Midwest evaluation of the adult functioning of former foster youth: Outcomes at age 23 and 24. Chapin Hall at The University of Chicago.
9.
CreswellJ. W.GuettermanT. C. (2025). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (7th ed.). Pearson.
10.
EtikanI.MusaS. A.AlkassimR. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11
11.
FalloonG. (2019). Using simulations to teach young students science concepts: An experiential learning theoretical analysis. Computers & Education, 135, 138–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.03.001
12.
GeenenS.PowersL. E. (2007). “Tomorrow is another problem”: The experiences of youth in foster care during their transition into adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review, 29(8), 1085–1101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.04.008
13.
GrahamK. E.SchellingerA. R.VaughnL. M. (2015). Developing strategies for positive change: Transitioning foster youth to adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review, 54, 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.04.014
14.
HodgeD. R.HongP.ChoiS. (2019). Spirituality, employment hope, and grit: Modeling the relationship among underemployed urban African Americans. Social Work Research, 43(1), 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svy034
15.
HongP. Y. P.ChoiS.PolaninJ. R. (2014). A multisample confirmatory factor analysis of the short employment hope scale (EHS-14). Journal of Social Service Research, 40(3), 339–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2014.901277
16.
HoweG. W.HornbergerA. P.WeihsK.MorenoF.NeiderhiserJ. M. (2012). Higher-order structure in the trajectories of depression and anxiety following sudden involuntary unemployment. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 121(2), 325–338. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026243
17.
IyerS.KoltsovJ. C.SteinhausM.RossT.SteinD.YangJ.KimH. J.AlbertT. (2019). A prospective, psychometric validation of national institutes of health patient-reported outcomes measurement information system physical function, pain interference, and upper extremity computer adaptive testing in cervical spine patients: Successes and key limitations. Spine, 44(22), 1539–1549. https://doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0000000000003133
18.
KaoK. Y.LeeH. T.RogersA.HsuH. H.LinM. T. (2021). Mentoring and job search behaviors: A moderated mediation model of job search self-efficacy. Journal of Career Development, 48(1), 44–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845319832971
19.
KellyP. (2020). Risk and protective factors contributing to homelessness among foster care youth: An analysis of the national youth in transition database. Children and Youth Services Review, 108, Article 104589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104589
20.
KimY.JuE.RosenbergR. (2019). Aging out of foster care: Homelessness, post-secondary education, and employment. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 12(1), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2017.1347551
21.
LentR. W.BrownS. D. (2013). Social cognitive model of career self-management: Toward a unifying view of adaptive career behavior across the life span. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(4), 557–568. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033446
22.
LiuS.HuangJ. L.WangM. (2014). Effectiveness of job search interventions: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 1009–1041. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035923
23.
MooreT. H. M.KapurN.HawtonK.RichardsA.MetcalfeC.GunnellD. (2017). Interventions to reduce the impact of unemployment and economic hardship on mental health in the general population: A systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 47(6), 1062–1084. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716002944
24.
MoynihanL. M.RoehlingM. V.LePineM. A.BoswellW. R. (2003). A longitudinal study of the relationships among job search self-efficacy, job interviews, and employment outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 18(2), 207–233. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027349115277
25.
NaccaratoT.BruceE. J.StaffordD. J.HawkesN. (2018). Human capital accumulation: A proposed measure and theoretical framework for foster youth job placement intervention strategies. In Handbook of foster youth (pp. 282–300). Routledge.
26.
NilesS. G.YoonH. J.BalinE.AmundsonN. A. (2010). Using a hope-centered model of career development in challenging times. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 4(34), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.17066/pdrd.86654
27.
OkpychN. J.CourtneyM. E. (2014). Does education pay for youth formerly in foster care? Comparison of employment outcomes with a national sample. Children and Youth Services Review, 43, 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.04.013
28.
PilkonisP. A.ChoiS. W.ReiseS. P.StoverA. M.RileyW. T.CellaD.PROMIS Cooperative Group. (2011). Item banks for measuring emotional distress from the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS®): Depression, anxiety, and anger. Assessment, 18(3), 263–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191111411667
29.
RosenburgR.SunS.FlanniganA.O’MearaM. (2022). Impact of COVID-19 among young people currently and formerly in foster care. Child Abuse & Neglect, 123, 105383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105383
30.
SmithJ.JonesK. (2023). Understanding retaliation: A mixed methods exploration of online revenge. Journal of Digital Social Dynamics, 5(2), 112–135.
31.
SnyderC. R. (1994). The psychology of hope: You can get there from here. Simon and Schuster.
32.
SolbergV. S.GoodG. E.NordD. (1994). Career search self-efficacy: Ripe for applications and intervention programming. Journal of Career Development, 21(1), 63–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02107104
33.
TangM.MontgomeryM. L. T.CollinsB.JenkinsK. (2021). Integrating career and mental health counseling: Necessity and strategies. Journal of Employment Counseling, 58(1), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1002/joec.12155
34.
Teye-KwadjoE. (2021). The job-search self-efficacy (JSSE) scale: An item response theory investigation. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 6(3), 301–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-021-00050-2
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau. (2021). Preliminary estimates for FY 2020. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb
37.
WanbergC. R.AliA. A.CsillagB. (2020). Job seeking: The process and experience of looking for a job. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 7(1), 315–337. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012119-044939
38.
WattT.KimS. (2019). Race/ethnicity and foster youth outcomes: An examination of disproportionality using the national youth in transition database. Children and Youth Services Review, 102, 251–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.05.017
39.
WheelerB.DippenaarE. (2020). The use of simulation as a teaching modality for paramedic education: A scoping review. British Paramedic Journal, 5(3), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.29045/14784726.2020.12.5.3.31
40.
WhistonS. C.LiY.MittsN. G.WrightL. (2017). Effectiveness of career choice interventions: A meta-analytic replication and extensions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 100, 175–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.03.010
41.
WilfordJ.OsannK.HsiehS.MonkB.NelsonE.WenzelL. (2018). Validation of PROMIS emotional distress short form scales for cervical cancer. Gynecologic Oncology, 151(1), 111–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2018.07.022
42.
WrightG. (2022). Investigating a psychoeducational job search intervention among unemployed individuals (p. 1310). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2020/1310
43.
YalomI. D.LeszczM. (2020). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. Basic Books.
