Cultural Receptivity among Foster Parents: Implications for Quality Transcultural Parenting

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Tanya M. Coakley, Professor (Creator)
Kenneth Gruber, Evaluation Section Chair (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Foster parents' ability to support a minority youth's cultural needs is critically important to the appropriate development of the youth's cultural identity and avoidance of negative reactions to real or perceived rejection or dismissal of their cultural values or traditions. This study assessed the ability of a set of practice-based measures to identify indicators of positive transcultural parenting. It involved a cross-sectional, nonprobability sample of 78 licensed foster parents who completed standardized foster parent assessments. Discriminant function analysis was used to correctly classify 91% of respondents into two distinct groups of low- and high-scoring foster parents on a cluster of demographic and fostering predictors of openness to effectively parenting culturally different children. Foster parents' race, education level, dedication to fostering, available time to foster, understanding of certain foster parent roles, and knowledge of transcultural parenting activities were the strongest predictors of cultural receptivity, a precursor for competence in transcultural parenting. These findings demonstrate the potential usefulness of a set of psychometrically sound measures for prescreening and enhancing transcultural parenting skill sets among prospective foster parents who would likely support the psychological, social, and cultural development of youths of a different race, ethnicity, or culture from themselves.

Additional Information

Publication
Social Work Research, 39(1), 11-22
Language: English
Date: 2015
Keywords
cultural competence, foster parent assessment, racial identity, transcultural parenting, transracial adoption

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