"It's already stressful being a foster parent": A qualitative inquiry into foster parenting stress during COVID-19

Background: Emerging literature suggests parents were under increased stress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, fewer studies to date have examined the wellbeing of foster parents in this season. Miller et al.'s (2020) quantitative study recommended in-depth, qualitative study of the stressors faced by foster parents during COVID-19.Objective: Accordingly, this qualitative study sought to fill a gap in the literature regarding foster parents' lived experiences of foster parenting stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants and setting: Virtual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with n = 20 foster parents from across one Southern U.S. state between April and July 2021.Methods: Verbatim transcripts were analyzed utilizing Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis.Results: Five themes emerged in the analysis: (1) Varied Descriptions of Fostering in a Pandemic; (2) Nowhere to Go; (3) COVID-Consciousness; (4) The Virtual Reality; and (5) Stress Relief. Eight total additional subthemes were recorded. All themes and subthemes were described with representative direct quotations from the data.Conclusions: Findings from this study demonstrated foster parents experienced both shared and unique parenting challenges during COVID-19. Three areas for further consideration and development in practice included improving online service delivery, strengthening guidance for online parent-child visitation, and enhancing support for foster parents of children with special needs. Developing social support and self-care practices should continue to be ongoing priorities for foster parents and foster parent-serving agencies.