Preparedness for adulthood among young adults with histories of out-of-home care

Abstract

Young adults with histories of out-of-home care (OOHC) have poor early adult outcomes. Transitioning to adulthood takes preparation, coupled with support and resources. Few studies have examined these young adults’ perceptions of what helped them prepare for adulthood and how prepared they perceived they were to make the developmental transition to adulthood. This convergent mixed methods study builds knowledge surrounding preparedness among a sample of young adults with histories in OOHC (N = 204). The study progressed in three phases. First, quantitative measures of preparedness were examined related to five critical areas of young adulthood: (1) employment, (2) education/training, (3) health care, (4) housing and (5) managing money. Results indicated that youth felt more prepared to manage their money and pursue employment than they felt prepared in the other areas. The second phase focused on qualitative interview data. Participants were asked, “What has been the most helpful thing in preparing you to live as an adult?” Open-ended responses were audiotaped, listened to by analysts, transcribed, and de-identified. Qualitative analysis followed a series of steps, centering constant comparison. Six themes (with sub-themes) emerged from the analysis of the data, namely (1) Forced independence; (2) The instructive role of mistakes; (3) Programs and services; (4) Family support; (5) Structure; and (6) Role models. Finally, analysts compared results of the quantitative and qualitative data and noted the data were convergent in suggesting that young adults feel somewhat more prepared around employment, managing money, and finances, in comparison to other areas. Implications are discussed.