The impact of a foster parent intervention for children with externalizing problems on traumatic stress problems

Objectives: About 60% of foster children experienced complex traumatic events before foster placement such as neglect, dysfunctional parents, emotional abuse etc. As a consequence a considerable number of foster children has... [ view full abstract ]

Objectives:
About 60% of foster children experienced complex traumatic events before foster placement such as neglect, dysfunctional parents, emotional abuse etc. As a consequence a considerable number of foster children has traumatic stress symptoms such as disturbing recurring flashbacks, avoidance of events eliciting memories of the traumatic event and symptoms of hyperarousal. In this study, we examine whether a Flemish foster parent intervention, developed for foster children (aged 3 – 12) with externalizing problems, also reduces traumatic stress symptoms.
Methods:
The intervention studied was the SIM-module of “Pleegouders Versterken in Opvoeden”. This Flemish foster parents training program was originally developed for foster parents caring for children with externalizing behavioural problems and consists of 10 weekly sessions. The theoretical underpinning of the intervention is based on the social interactional model and on the model of Schofield and Beek (2005) on important parenting skills. A randomized controlled trial was set up to examine the efficacy of the foster parent intervention. 63 foster families were enrolled in the study: 30 foster families in the experimental group and 33 foster families in the control group. The latter families received care-as-usual. Foster children’s traumatic stress symptoms were measured before treatment, immediately after and at follow-up (3 months later), using the corresponding scale of the Child Behavior Checklist (filled in by the foster mother).
Results:
Traumatic symptoms of the foster children of both groups did not differ statistically at the end of the intervention (F(1, 60) = 52.67, p = .38). The short-term effects were small (d = .35). However, according to the foster parents, foster children out of the experimental group had three months after the ending of the treatment significantly less traumatic stress symptoms F(1, 60) = 9.24, p = .004). The long-term effects on foster children’s traumatic stress problems were large (d = .77).
Conclusion:
The study shows that the SIM-module of “Pleegouders Versterken in Opvoeden “ has a positive effect on traumatic stress symptoms of foster children with externalizing behavioural problems. It can be assumed that the parenting skills trained during the intervention not only have a positive effect on the externalizing problems of the foster children but that they also result in a decrease of the traumatic stress symptoms of foster children with externalizing behavioural problems. The preliminary evidence for its efficacy on foster children’s traumatic stress problems calls for a further implementation and study of the intervention.

References:
Schofield, G., & Beek, M. (2005). Providing a secure base: Parenting children in long-term foster family care. Attachment and Human Development, 7, 3-25.