FOSTER PARENT’S MOTIVATIONS REGARDING FOSTER CARE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY FROM SOUTH INDIA

Year 2018, Volume: 3 Issue: 3, 135 - 142, 26.12.2018

Kurian Jose Benil Hafeeq Sheeba Mumtaz P.j. Anjali N.a. Uvais

https://doi.org/10.23884/ijhsrp.2018.3.3.05

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Institutionalized children’s foster care is getting more momentum in India recently.
Perceptions and motivations regarding foster care among foster parents are an area
unexplored and the current study is indeed an attempt to look into it. Initial assessment
of the sample population was done at home and their socio-demographic data was
collected. After taking informed consent, the participants were given an open ended
question, what motivated you to apply for foster care? to answer in detail in writing.
Qualitative content analysis, a process designed to condense raw data into categories
or themes based on valid inference and interpretation was used to analyse the data.
The sample population consisted of 36 foster parents. The mean age of husband was
51.66 ± 6.58, mean age of wife was 44.83 ± 5.64 and average number of children in
the family was 1.58 ± 1.02. Analysis of sociodemographic variables showed that out
of 36 foster parents, 21 was belonging to Hindu religion, 8 belonging to Islamic
religion and 7 belonging to Christian religion. Most of them belongs to upper middle
class and resides in semi urban regions of Kozhikode district. The major motivational
themes came out in the qualitative interview were altruism, deprivation, social
response, sympathy, empathy, religious beliefs, prestige of the family and a way of
meeting parental needs. The present study explored motivations regarding foster care
among foster parents. The study found altruism as the most important factor

motivating foster care among studied population. Further researches are needed to
understand how different motivations affect the quality and continuity of foster care in
the Indian context, so that an ideal foster assessment can be made by the
concerned authority before entrusting the care of a child to the foster parent. 

Keywords

Foster care, perceptions, motivations, foster parent

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