“I’m Glad That I Was Given a Second Chance to Live”: the Buffering Impact of Turning Points in the Lives of Young People with Foster Care Experience

Abstract

Young people with a history of out-of-home care placement are at risk for a host of adverse outcomes, yet many demonstrate resilience by young adulthood. One mechanism by which well-being may be achieved is through a turning point (TP). This study had two key questions: (1) What do TPs look like for care-experienced young adults? (2) Does having a TP buffer the impact of early adversity on young adult well-being? Participants (N = 166) were interviewed in pre-adolescence and again in young adulthood. Baseline measures of adversity (ACEs) and life satisfaction were associated with young adult life satisfaction. In young adulthood, participants were asked an open-ended question about having a TP and four fifths of participants stated that they had a TP. Although having a TP was unrelated to demographic factors, living situation histories, or type of maltreatment, a multiple regression predicting young adult life satisfaction found a significant interaction between having a TP and ACEs, over and above baseline control variables. In probing the interaction, there was no association between ACEs and life satisfaction for those with a TP; for those without a TP, however, there was a negative association between ACEs and life satisfaction. In conclusion, having a TP in adolescence seemed to buffer the impact of early adversity on later well-being among young adults with a history of out-of-home care. The nature of the TPs varied, but having any TP seemed to lead to maturation and realizations which may serve as protective factors while navigating the transition to adulthood.