The Role of Traumatic Life Events, Parental Acceptance and Rejection, Self-Efficacy and Support Systems to positive and negative emotions - A comparative Study of Young Adults Raised in Different Settings

Background and aims: “Emerging adulthood” (Arnett, 2007) is a developmental phase that occurs between the ages of 18 and 25. The youngsters are no longer adolescents, but not yet adults, and are faced with developmental tasks related to forming their adult identity (Arnett, 2016). For graduates of out-of-home placements, this is a particularly challenging phase due to both financial difficulties and lack of family support. They are required to start living independently and take on responsibilities in many areas in a shorter time-period than youngsters who grow up living with their parents (Frimpong-Manso, 2020). Based on Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory exploring individuals’ adaptation to their environment, the current study examined the contribution of past events, personality variables and support systems to the emotional wellbeing of youngsters as expressed by positive and negative emotions. In practice, the study examined graduates of out-of-home placements and a comparison group of youngsters who grew up with their biological families, to learn about differences between these two groups.

Methods: 195 young adults aged 18-25, of whom 116 grew up with their biological families and 79 grew up in out-of-home placements, completed self-report questionnaires. These included: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Short Form, Potentially Traumatic Events Inventory, Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and a demographic questionnaire. Data was collected after receiving approval from the School of Social Work’s ethics committee. Participation was voluntary and subject to informed consent. All participant details were kept confidential.

Jamovi software was used to analyze the associations between dependent and independent variables. Hypotheses on differences between groups were examined using t-tests for independent samples. Hypotheses on correlations were examined using Pearson correlation coefficients. Regression models were used to examine the unique and combined contribution of the study variables to the explained variance of positive and negative emotions, and to examine the moderating role of a significant adult in the association between past parental care and aspects of emotional wellbeing. 

Findings: Graduates of out-of-home placements experienced more stressful life events than those who grew up with their parents, but simultaneously, they reported more positive emotions. Additionally, graduates of out-of-home placements experienced less parental acceptance from both their mothers and fathers. Compared to their counterparts who grew up with their parents, graduates of out-of-home placements reported lower levels of support from family, friends and significant non-familial adults. No differences were observed between groups in self-efficacy and negative emotions.

Among both groups, stressful life events were associated with negative emotions but not with positive emotions. As for parental acceptance, among youngsters who grew up with their parents, paternal acceptance was associated with positive emotions. Among graduates of out-of-home placements, low levels of both paternal and maternal acceptance were associated with negative emotions. Among both groups, higher levels of self-efficacy were associated with more positive emotions and less negative emotions. Among youngsters who grew up with their parents, greater family support was associated with more positive emotions and less negative emotions. Contrary to this, among graduates of out-of-home placements, lower levels of family support were associated with more negative emotions but not with positive emotions. Support from friends was found to be associated with more positive emotions and less negative emotions among graduates of out-of-home placements, but it was only associated with positive emotions among those who grew up with their parents. There was a positive association between support from significant non-familial adults and positive emotions among both groups.

The most significant differences between groups were detected in the three-way interactions. Among graduates of out-of-home placements, there was a positive association between paternal warmth and affection and positive emotions only in the presence of high levels of support from a significant non-familial adult. Contrary to this, among youngsters who grew up with their biological parents, there was a tendency towards a positive association between paternal warmth and affection and positive emotions only in the presence of low levels of support from a significant non-familial adult, but this association was not evident when levels of such support were high. Finally, among graduates of out-of-home placements, the association between maternal affection and negative emotions was not dependent on support from significant non-familial adults. Among youngsters who grew up with their biological parents, there was a negative association between maternal warmth and affection and negative emotions when support from a significant non-familial adult was low, but not when such support was high.

Study contribution: Various programs have been established in recent years to answer the needs of graduates of out-of-home placements. In this context, the current study contributes to the extension of evidence-based practices. Most studies on graduates of out-of-home placements focus on their achievements, their financial and educational attainments, military service or life satisfaction after leaving the placement. This study adds to the growing body of empirical and professional knowledge on the emotional wellbeing of graduates of out-of-home placements as compared to their peers who grew up with their parents. The comparison between groups sheds a light on the existing gaps between groups, and enables the development of programs that will contribute to minimizing the gaps and promoting emotional wellbeing among graduates of out-of-home placements.