Date of Award

2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Scott Leon

Abstract

Currently, there are approximately 400,000 children involved in the U.S. foster care system (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2023). Youth involved in foster care experience challenges such as trauma, disruptions to their support system, academic disruptions, and additional public system involvement (Emerson & Lovitt, 2003; Fawley-King et al., 2017; Masuda & Helm, 2024; Modrowski et al., 2023). Considering this context, it is essential to increase efforts to reduce added distress and bolster supportive contexts for youth. Caseworkers are essential service providers for youth in foster care. Caseworkers provide support to youth and families through assessing needs, connecting families to services, and advocacy (Augsberger & Swenson, 2015; Bunger et al., 2010; Dorsey et al., 2012). However, the current family-centered approach to child welfare services holds that caseworkers, while necessary, are often not sufficient in providing the range of support children need to experience optimal well-being. An engaged system of natural supports has been found to offer significant protection against increases in internalizing symptoms (Leon & Dickson, 2019) and externalizing behaviors (Jhe Bai et al., 2016) among youth in foster care. Given the unique and vital role that caseworker support plays in supporting children in foster care, this project aimed to examine the role that caseworker support, as measured by foster parent satisfaction ratings with caseworker services, played in internalizing and externalizing symptom trajectories for youth in foster care. In addition, this study aimed to assess the impact of kinship involvement on internalizing and externalizing symptom trajectories Finally, this project assessed the interaction effect of kinship involvement and foster parent satisfaction ratings with caseworker services on internalizing and externalizing symptom trajectories. The data for this study is archival data from the Recruitment and Kin Connections Project (RKCP). The sample included 490 participants, aged 6-13 years old. These children entered foster care between October 1, 2011 and October 1, 2014. Most of the youth in this group identify as African American, followed by Latine, Multi-ethnic, and White. Foster parent satisfaction with caseworker services was measured using an adapted version of the Ohio Youth Problems, Functioning, and Satisfaction Scales (Ohio Scales; Ogles et al., 2001). This adapted 4-item measure was created using items from the Ohio Scales Parent Form. Data on internalizing and externalizing symptoms was collected for a sample of the children at two timepoints from foster parent report through the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001). Additional data on internalizing and externalizing symptoms was measured by the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths measure completed by caseworkers at two timepoints (CANS; Lyons, 2009). Results of the Ordinary Least Square regression models showed that foster parent ratings of caseworker services, measured by the adapted Ohio Scale measure, were a significant predictor of internalizing and externalizing symptoms at Time 2 as measured by the CBCL, specifically in the domains of internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, anxious depression, social problems, attention problems, rule breaking, and aggressive behavior. However, the main effect of kinship involvement was not associated with Time 2 CBCL scores. Further, the interaction between foster parent satisfaction ratings of caseworker services and kinship involvement was not statically significant across Time 2 CBCL scores. Results from the Generalized Linear Models assessing how foster parent ratings of caseworker services impacted CANS internalizing and CANS externalizing trajectories over time was not statistically significant. These findings have key implications for supporting caseworkers within the foster care system to be a key support for youth in care.

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