Ties that Bond and Bridge: Exploring Social Capital Among College Students with Foster Care Histories Using a Novel Social Network Instrument (FC-Connects)

Abstract

College students with foster care backgrounds have demonstrably lower graduation rates than peers, and resources obtained through their social networks are vital to their college success. Our study explores the social networks and social capital among a sample of first-year college students with foster care histories who were participating in a campus-based support program (CSP) at a Midwestern university (n = 26, response rate = 93%). Data were collected from a novel social network instrument called FC-Connects, which was designed for students with foster care histories. We find that, early in their college career, students have ample bonding capital (emotional support, practical support, and personal advice) but bridging capital (college advice and academic support) is in shorter supply. Consistent with social capital theory, bonding support was commonly accessed through close relationships with family and peers, while bridging support was leveraged through distant relationships with professionals. Diverging from theory, professionals and mentors from the CSP were key sources of bridging capital but also had close relationships with students. About three-fifths of all nominated individuals provided more than one type of social capital. Our whole-network analysis identified a small number of students who were important connectors in the network and found that roughly one-in-three students were isolates, having no connections to their classmates in the CSP. Finally, students high in avoidant attachment (emotional guardedness and self-reliance) were less likely than their peers to report having enough emotional support and viewed their support nominees as less dependable.