A closer look at self-image in male foster care adolescents

Using the Offer Self-image Questionnaire, this study attempted to determine the differences between 58 male adolescents in foster care and their peers in the normal population and to establish if there are characteristics of the adolescents' background or foster cave experience related to specific domains of self-image. Characteristics from foster cave history included number of placements and length of time at the current placement. Individual background characteristics included race, educational achievement, and age. Foster cave youths herd lower family self-image and emotional health and higher social self-image when compared with the normative population. Lower scores on several domains of self-image weve associated with being younger, being white, having lower academic achievement, having move placements, and staying at the current placement for a longer time. The implications of these findings for foster cave placement decisions are discussed.