Youth Leaving Care: An Interpretive Description of Hope in Challenging Transition

• Author / Creator

  King, Rachel L.

• This study investigates the experience of hope for emerging adults who demonstrate resilience in the transition from government care to independent living. Hope is a complex emotional construct that has been shown to be important in supporting positive developmental outcomes; however, there is little previous research about the role of hope in the transition out of government care. The purpose of this research is to: (a) enhance understanding of the role of hope in the transition from government care; (b) seek implications from the research to facilitate resilience and successful transition for youth transitioning from care; (c) highlight implications for practically enhancing hope in ways beneficial to the youth; and (d) inform advocacy for reducing barriers to hope for this population. Thorne’s (2008) interpretive description methodology was used, undergirded by a constructivist philosophical stance. Life chart guided, individual, in-depth interviews were used to explicate the experience of hope throughout the transition from care for participants. Data analysis was informed by constant comparison (Lincoln & Guba, 1985), nested within Thorne, Kirkham, and O’Flynn-Magee’s (2004) flexible, four-component model of analysis. The findings of this study expand our understandings of hope in transition by revealing that hope appears to follow a cyclical process for youth leaving care consisting of: (a) building hope; (b) envisioning hope; (c) hope threatened; (d) hope hardiness; and (e) re-building hope.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Hope
  • Resilience
  • Transitions
  • Emerging Adulthood

• Graduation date

  Spring 2019

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-5t1d-z549

• License

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