Distinct Subgroups of Former Foster Youth during Young Adulthood: Implications for Policy and Practice
In this issue brief, the authors use information provided by young people participating in the Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth to identify distinct subgroups of young adults making the transition to adulthood based on their experiences across several key transition domains. Because a one-size-fits-all approach seldom meets the needs of a population that exhibits great heterogeneity, identification of subgroups of foster youth making the transition to adulthood can help inform efforts to better design and target policies, programs, and practice. The authors use latent class analysis, which identifies subpopulations based on their particular patterns across multiple indicators, to generate four distinctive multi-dimensional profiles of transitioning foster youth.
