Foster parenting in old age as a crisis. Baseline hope, generalised self-efficacy, and positive orientation of foster parents in late adulthood

Abstract

The article presents the results of own research presenting differences in the level of basic hope, the sense of generalized self-efficacy and positive orientation depending on the function of a foster parent for one’s grandchildren. For this purpose, the Basic Hope Questionnaire (BHI-12), the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the Positive Orientation Scale (P Scale) and the self-survey were used. 160 people took part in the study. The study group consisted of 80 foster parents in late adulthood. The control group consisted of 80 elderly people who did not perform this function.
 Statistical analysis showed statistically significant differences in the level of all the studied variables. It turned out that foster parents are characterized by a higher level of basic hope (this effect is strong), a higher level of a sense of generalized self-efficacy, and a lower level of positive orientation. In the case of the last variable, the effect was very strong. On this basis, it can be concluded that elderly people acting as foster parents, in the situation of a crisis occurring in the family, consisting in the disintegration of the previous way of its functioning, having a sense of agency and conviction that it is possible to build a new order, i.e. a strong basic hope, decide to take over the care of their grandchildren. At the same time, the results of research in the field of positive orientation indicate that it is a difficult situation for them related to the experience of lower satisfaction with themselves and their lives.
 Surrogate parenting in late adulthood has been shown as a difficult situation in which the family and human life cycle are disrupted. The psychological situation of elderly people acting as foster parents for their grandchildren is particularly interesting, because the natural developmental crisis resulting from the aging process is superimposed by an additional situational crisis consisting in the loss of the care of the biological parents by the minors and the assumption of this responsibility by the grandparents