The complex relationship between sibling contact and child and family well-being in foster care: An exploration of child and family functioning in a pre-permanency cohort

Abstract

U.S. policy promotes sibling visitation when siblings cannot be placed in foster care homes together, however, when siblings are placed separately, many do not receive visits and there is little research examining the impact of separation and visitation. This study examined child and family well-being for 1) siblings that were not in placement together but had visits, 2) siblings that are not in placement together and do not have visits, and 3) children who are not split from their siblings or have no siblings, using pre-service referral and assessment data of children and caregivers (n = 259) from a clinical pre-adoption program. Multivariate analysis indicated that sibling visits, increased parenting stress, increased child behavioral problems and older age of children were all negatively related to parent ratings of child integration into the family (i.e. sense of belonging). Although more research is needed, these findings suggest that when co-placement is not available special attention should be given to sibling visitation and the possible conflicts of loyalty that can arise and interfere with supportive integration into the foster home.