Publication

Aim: To identify the difficulties faced by foster parents in caring for foster children with disabilities, who have been victims of abuse, to help them become independent. Method: A self-administered questionnaire was sent to foster parents and family homes in Japan. We qualitatively analyzed the survey, in which the respondents were asked to indicate whether they had ever fostered a child with a disability or disease, in addition to having been abused, and to freely discuss the disability or disease and any problems or difficulties they had in supporting the independence of these foster children. Results: We received responses from 50 family homes and 73 foster parents. A total of 155 mental and 25 physical problems were mentioned. Of these, 35, 59, and 31 were related to mental retardation （F70-F79）, disorders of psychological development （F80-F89）, and behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence （F90-F98）, respectively. The following five categories were extracted from the descriptions of problems in self-reliance support: those related to "immaturity of social and interpersonal skills," "psychological instability and low self-esteem," "lack of foster care support for children with disabilities," "lack of resources for transition support," and "understanding of disability by the individual and others." The five categories included 18 subcategories.