Ten years later: Satisfaction with intimate relationships and parenthood of young people aging out of residential care

Tehila Refaeli, Anat Zeira, Rami Benbenishty

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Care leavers, young people who have aged out of residential or foster care, experience many challenges during their transition to adulthood. However, there is relatively little research on care leavers' intimate relationships. Their parenthood has been explored to a greater extent, but mostly qualitatively. Objective: This study focused on Israeli care leavers a decade after leaving care and explored various factors associated with satisfaction with both intimate relationships and parenthood. Methods: One-hundred-and-fifty-two young people participated in the study ten years after leaving care. Toward the end of their 20s, 74.3% were either married or had stable intimate relationships, and 40.1% were parents. To assess satisfaction with intimate relationships and parenthood, two hierarchical regressions were conducted that examined the cumulative contribution of background factors (care variables and traumatic life events), personal characteristics (self-esteem, mental distress, and alcohol use) and social support. Results: Satisfaction with intimate relationships was associated with higher income, fewer traumatic life events, and higher self-esteem. Gender moderated the association of traumatic life events with satisfaction with intimate relationships. Satisfaction with parenthood was associated with fewer traumatic events throughout care leavers' lives; it was also associated with lower levels of mental distress and alcohol use and with higher levels of satisfaction with intimate relationships. Gender moderated the association of mental distress with satisfaction with parenthood. Conclusions: Ten years after leaving care, care leavers' backgrounds (i.e., their traumatic life events) were strongly associated with their situation as adults. Other risk factors such as alcohol use and mental distress were especially relevant to care leavers' satisfaction as parents, demanding longitudinal interventions. Further exploration of the role of gender in satisfaction with intimate relationships and parenthood is needed.

Original languageEnglish
Article number105635
JournalChild Abuse and Neglect
Volume129
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

The study supported by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) grant number 505/18. The authors thank the participants for their collaboration.

FundersFunder number
Israel Science Foundation505/18

    Keywords

    • Care leavers
    • Intimate relationships
    • Mental distress
    • Parenthood
    • Residential care
    • Traumatic life events

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