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Parenting Styles of Foster Parents Impact the Growth and Development of Children in the

Foster Care System

by

Jessalyn Westwood

English 301

July 10, 2018

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Parenting Styles of Foster Parents Impact the Growth and Development of Children in the

Foster Care System

Abstract

An introduction of the foster care system, parenting styles and how they are correlated.

When children bounce between foster parents with differing parenting styles, it can have a major

impact on their development both behaviorally and mentally. Discuss the Foster care system in

the U.S., who is involved, what policies impact the system, and what forms of placement exist.

Explain each of the different parenting styles that can be present. Provide evidence of early

childhood stress resulting in abnormal emotional response in later life. While foster care is a

good step in the right direction for a child to move out of bad circumstances, the changes in

parenting style causes developmental and behavioral problems in the child.

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Parenting Styles of Foster Parents Impact the Growth and Development of Children in the
Foster Care System
In the United States today there is a growing number of children that are impacted by the

foster care system and the way in which it is set up. According to records held in 2016 437,465

children were registered in the foster care system that year and sadly the number is continuously

growing today. Often coming from very hard circumstances these children have had to deal with

a lot but to top it off they tend to move from house to house when they are in the system. This

constant movement sounds like a problem itself, but what happens when the parents in each

home treat the kids differently and expect different things from them? According to a few studies

this change in parenting style from home to home can cause behavioral and developmental

problems in children. While foster care is a good step in the right direction for a child to move

out of bad circumstances, the changes in parenting style causes developmental and behavioral

problems in the child.

The foster care system in the United States is set up to help the children who are put in

bad situations get the shelter and support that they need. Sadly, in some cases this system that

has been put into place has flaws. According to Statistics found by the Children’s Bureau on

September 30, 2016 there were about 437,465 children registered in the foster care system and

the number is tending to stay near that point. (“Foster Care”) In just that year alone 273,539

children entered the system and as a result of adoption, turning of age, or being restored to their

birth families 250, 248 children left the foster care system. These numbers while seemingly

optimistic show that the foster care system is a necessary assistance system in the country.

This system is very versatile and in some situations the children have to deal with

discouraging situations in which they are moved from place to place in order to find a good fit or
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because of situations out of their own control. This sometimes causes children to have to keep

getting used to his or her knew situations. While this does not seem like something that could

have a big impact on a child’s development it can have lasting effects. These changes can cause

huge amounts of stress on children, which can hinder their social and educational development

and can cause damage to their future relationships. According to a study conducted on stress in

children, “emotional regulatory competencies may not fully rebound after children’s social

conditions improve” (Burkholder).

This same study states that “individuals who have experienced early life stress show

difficulties in other areas of cognitive functioning such as executive functioning, that correlate

with the development of emotion regulation” (Burkholder). This can cause the behavioral

problems that are often found in foster children. When a child is not developing correct

emotional regulation because of stress and the feeling of being unwanted, it can cause anger

management issues, anxiety, problems coping with stress effectively in their childhood and adult

lives, depression and other mental illnesses. While stress is an important factor in a child

developing emotional regulation, amounts of stress above the normal threshold can cause these

lacks in development of emotional regulation.

A study was done on youth that were adopted into families after living in institutions or

foster family situations and showed results that higher levels of anxiety are found in these

children. According to the study, “children and adolescents who experienced early life stress in

the form of institutional care had higher levels of observed anxiety expression” (Fuentes). This

statement shows that the stress experienced in their early lives did in fact impact their ability to

handle stress and anxiety in their future lives. The study later states that “these results raise the

possibility of a sensitive period early in life during which stressful conditions of care may cause
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lasting problems in the regulation of emotional expression” (Fuentes). This study provides strong

evidence that stress early on in the lives of children can cause lasting developmental problems

and impact the way a child deals with anxiety and stress. This issue is very important to look at

and understand because the number of children that have to deal with this amount of stress early

on in life is significant. In order to fully understand the stress that a child can experience in the

foster care system an understanding of how the foster care system works and how parenting

styles can impact a child is necessary.

The different programs that fall under the category of foster care are funded by the

Children’s Bureau through the title IV-E foster care program which falls under social security.

The programs are generally run by the individual states with the funding and licensure of the

Children’s Bureau, which regulates all information and individual child cases for any children

involved in the foster care system. Those who want to become foster parents must be trained and

social worker conduct home inspections to make sure that the parents are providing safe

environments for the children and are able to take care of their needs. Institutions must be

licensed in order to be able to house children in the foster care system. The foster care system is

built on the standard of helping these underprivileged children receive the care and attention that

they require. Children are placed in the foster care system when they are found to be in homes

that involve abuse, birth parents on drugs, neglect, malnourishment, homes that no longer have

guardians present and many other reasons. While pulled out of bad situations, placement can

often cause stress in the children.

The foster care system consists of many forms of placement including; nonrelative foster

family homes, relative foster family homes, institutions, group homes, trial home visits,

preadoptive homes, supervised independent living and some children even run away. Nonrelative
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family homes are homes of families who take in foster children that they have no relation to and

as of 2016 forty five percent of all children in the foster care system were placed in these types

of homes. Relative foster family homes result when children are placed into a home with another

living relative that stands as their guardian. As of 2016 thirty two percent of all foster children

are placed in these types of homes. Institutions include places put in place by the government or

other nonprofit organizations such as orphanages, which are not extremely popular in the United

States. In 2016 seven percent of all foster children were placed in these types of homes. Group

homes are put into place for children with special needs that make it hard to place them in

normal home situations and five percent of foster children are placed in these types of homes.

Trial home visits are when children are placed back in their original homes for a small

amount of time to see if the parents are now capable of taking care of them with the supervision

of social workers and five percent of foster children are placed here. Preadoptive homes include

homes of families who are looking to adopt children and are experiencing life with a child for a

small amount of time while deciding on adoption and only 4 percent of children are placed in

these types of homes. The last two situations that do happen are supervised independent living,

these types of situations are only allowed for older children who can live independently and

work directly with a social worker until they come of age. The last situation is uncommon and

sad but sometimes children run away from the system because they feel unloved, unwanted or

uncared for.

According to a study behavioral issues are found more in children in the foster care

system compared to children in normal families. This study states, “although the results suggest

that a high proportion of foster children are within the normal range for behavior problems, the

percentages that fall within the borderline or clinical range on the Child Behavior Checklist
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(CBCL) are still considerable. Research using DSM-IV diagnostic criteria has also observed

higher rates of mental health problems and behavioral disorders among children in family

fostering than in the general population” (Fuentes). Other studies have shown this same pattern

of behavioral and mental problems found in children that are in the foster care system. These

issues have been found to have a lot to do with the way a child adapts to their new foster family,

which can and is in most cases based on the style of parenting the new foster parents use.

First in order to fully understand the issue an understanding of the different parenting

styles and what they entail is important. Children are influenced by many people in their lives,

but the most important figure in a child’s life and development are their parents. The impact a

parent has on a child’s life is something that cannot be reversed and can have a major influence

on the type of person they become in their adult lives. According to Leslie Reed, “Parenting style

during infancy has an effect on the self-system development in the toddler and has a life-long

impact on the child.” (Reed) The long-lasting effects of these different parenting style makes it

important for parents to understand how their personal parenting style can impact their children.

This paper will outline the different parenting styles and how they impact the development,

personality and actions of children.

First, parenting in general needs to be discussed. Parenting as defined by Zarina Akhtar,

is “a process through which a person exhibits a specific, warm and affectionate behavior towards

their infants” (Akhtar). There are two main dimensions to parenting, parenting acceptance and

parental control, also defined by Zarina Akhtar, “parental acceptance is accepting their child and

parenting control is strictness of parental standards” (Akhtar). The ways in which a parent

balances these two aspects of the parent child relationship are sometimes referred to as a
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parenting style. I am going to briefly speak about each of the main parenting styles and the

impacts they may have on the children influenced by them.

One of the most successful and most common parenting styles is the Authoritative style.

This style according to the text found in a book, includes parents who are flexible but set limits,

encourage maturity but listen and forgive, and consider themselves guides for their children

(Berger). These types of parents tend to produce children that are more likely to be liked by

teachers and are overall more successful. These children have a better sense of self appreciation,

are generous, and happy (Berger). According to Leslie Reed children who are parented in this

style show, “better self-control, higher self-esteem, higher academic achievement, and express

more happiness” (Reed). This parenting style leads to successful relationships between parent

and child and help the child to grow in a safe and encouraging environment.

According to Zarina Akhtar, parents who parent their children in the Authoritative style,

“are very sensitive and involved in their child's activities; responsive to their needs; they

encourage verbal conversation and allow their children to question parental requests” (Akhtar).

These types of parents are involved in their children’s daily activities and make an effort to be

present in their lives, without restricting them too much, they are willing to negotiate. Children

raised by these types of parents have good, healthy, and long-lasting relationships with their

parents in the future.

Authoritarian parenting is described in a book as the parent’s word being law, physical

punishment is used, clear rules are set, children are held to high standards, the parents are cold

and do not discuss the child’s wellbeing with them (Berger). These parents tend to produce

children who are guilty, depressed, blame themselves when things go wrong, obedient,

conscientious, but in later years tend to be rebellious (Berger). According to Leslie Reed,
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children parented in this style tend to have “self-trust issues, poor problem-solving skills, and

low self-esteem” (Reed). These children tend to have a harder time connecting with their parents

on an intimate level and this can lead to harder relationships with their parents in the later years

of life.

According to Zarina Akhtar, parents who use the Authoritarian style, “always showed

rigid behavior and high control even when the child grown up to mature. They are emotionally at

distance with their children and may be rejecting”. (Akhtar) These types of parents are

demanding and controlling and only want you to do exactly what they want no matter what.

They use physical punishment to get what they want from their children. Children raised in these

types of homes, often grow up to be rebellious and in later years in life make an effort to go

against the wishes of their parents. They tend to want to express themselves more in later years

and do not have close relationships with their parents.

Permissive parenting is described in a book on parenting styles as the parent making few

demands of their children, hiding impatience, very little discipline, low expectations for maturity,

nurturing, accepting, and let the child say whatever they would like to say no matter what it may

be (Berger). These parents tend to produce children who lack self-control, are immature, do not

have good emotional regulation, are unhappy, have a hard time with the give and take parts of

relationships and they tend to stay dependent on their parents later into adulthood (Berger).

According to Leslie Reed, children parented in the permissive style tend to have “higher incident

of depression, poor self-regulation, and lower academic performance” (Reed). This style of

parenting leads to unhealthy relationships between parent and child because of a lack of respect

for parent by the child.

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According to Zarina Akhtar, parents who use the Permissive style of parenting, “make

few demands exhibiting non-controlling behavior and use minimal punishment. They give high

level of freedom to their children and do not restrict their behavior unless it physically harms

them” (Akhtar). These types of parents set very few rules for their children and are very lenient

about how their child acts. Relationships between parent and child in these types of parenting

relationships tend to be more of a friend type of relationship. Children see these parents as more

of a friend than a parent, which messes with the respect aspect of a typical parent child

relationship.

`The last style of parenting is more a lack of parenting than an actual style of parenting.

This style of parenting is neglectful or uninvolved parenting. These types of parents do not care

about their children and never make an effort to be involved in their children’s lives. They are

not abusive to their children, but do not pay attention to their children which can lead to mental

and emotional problems. According to a book, children raised in these types of homes tend to be

“immature, sad, lonely, at risk of injury and abuse” for their entire lives, not just as children

(Berger). This type of parenting leads to little or no relationship between the parents and the

child.

Parenting style can have a very big impact on a child’s development in many ways.

According to M. J. Fuentes, “research in the general population that has linked behavior

problems to parenting style has found that an approach to child rearing based on warmth,

communication and the establishment of clear rules is associated with fewer behavior problems

among children” (Akhtar). The way in which a child is reared impacts their lives now but can

have lasting impacts that carry on into adulthood.

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Studies have shown that Authoritative parenting is one of the best ways to parent children

that come into new foster care families, which can be true of any child. In the article by M.J.

Fuentes, it states “Research on parenting styles has found that foster children are better able to

adapt to their foster family if what they encounter is authoritative parenting. Thus, when foster

parents are able to set limits and to explain the basis for them, then foster children tend to present

fewer behavior problems (Akhtar). The way in which a foster parent chooses to raise their

children will impact the way the child develops and can be one of a few different styles.

With a full understanding of these parenting styles it is easy to see which one is the most

successful for children and their development. Authoritative parenting has been found to be the

most adaptable parenting style for foster children and helps them to develop good strong social

skills and to be less susceptible to behavioral problems and mental illness. Studies state that,

“research on parenting styles has found that foster children are better able to adapt to their foster

family if what they encounter is authoritative parenting. Thus, when foster parents are able to set

limits and to explain the basis for them, then foster children tend to present fewer behavior

problems” (Fuentes M.J.). Foster parents who make an effort to use this parenting style will be

more successful in maintaining a good relationship with the children who are living in their

homes.

Other parenting styles are not as welcoming to these children and can lead to behavioral

issues and mental illness in these children. Parenting style can have a very big impact on a

child’s development in many ways. According to M. J. Fuentes, “research in the general

population that has linked behavior problems to parenting style has found that an approach to

child rearing based on warmth, communication and the establishment of clear rules is associated

with fewer behavior problems among children” (Fuentes M.J.). The way in which a child is
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reared impacts their lives now but can have lasting impacts that carry on into adulthood. This is

true specially to foster children who sadly have to experience moving between different families

and possibly having to learn how to deal with different parenting styles.

According to Greeno, “for children receiving child welfare services, trauma and

maltreatment histories manifest in mental health needs that frequently result in diagnoses of post-

traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression” (Greeno). This is a very important thing that

foster parents need to understand when dealing with foster children and deciding what type of

parenting style would be most beneficial to them and the child they are dealing with. Often this

can be a very difficult decision to make but if a parent wants their foster children to be

comfortable in their home they will figure out a good way to parent them in a dually beneficial

way. Authoritarian parenting has shown in studies to be the most beneficial parenting style for

both the child involved as well as the foster parents. Children thrive when raised in a warm

welcoming way which is displayed in this parenting style.

Studies have proven that stress in early childhood can cause defects in a person’s ability

to produce normal emotional responses, can cause anxiety and depression and has an impact on

the overall wellbeing of a person in his or her future. There is a point in childhood in which large

amounts of stress can and will cause damage in this regard and many foster children experience

stress at this critical stage in early childhood development causing behavioral and developmental

delays. These developmental problems can make it hard for a person to safely and normally

show emotions and can cause anger issues and the like. There is evidence enough to prove that

foster care situations can be a factor in this problem.

The conclusion of the study on early childhood stressed mentioned earlier is that,

“Because deficits in emotion regulation may have negative implications for development and
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social functioning, is necessary for future studies to focus on developing intervention programs

to improve emotion regulatory skills in youth who have experienced early life stress”

(Burkholder). It is important that further research is done specifically for children living in the

foster care system because measures can be taken to eliminate as much stress put on the children

as possible which would benefit every person involved in the program. Living in foster care

provides huge amounts of early childhood stress on children and affects the lives and

development of these children profoundly.

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Akhtar, Z. (2012). The Effect of Parenting Style of Parents on the Attachment Styles of
Undergraduate Students. Language In India, 12(1), 555-566.
Berger, K. S. (2015). The developing person through childhood and adolescence. New York,
NY: Worth .
Burkholder, Amanda R., et al. "Early Life Stress: Effects on the Regulation of Anxiety
Expression in Children and Adolescents." Social Development, vol. 25, no. 4, Nov. 2016,
pp. 777-793. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/sode.12170.
“Foster Care.” Office of Child Care | ACF, www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/focus-areas/foster-care.
Fuentes, M. J., Salas, M. D., Bernedo, I. M., & García-Martín, M. A. (2015). Impact of the
parenting style of foster parents on the behaviour problems of foster children. Child:
Care, Health & Development, 41(5), 704-711.
“Home - Child Welfare Information Gateway.” The National Incidence Study (NIS) - Child
Welfare Information Gateway, Damashek, Drass, & Bonner (2014),
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Reed, L. (2015). Early Socialization. International Journal Of Childbirth Education, 30(2), 31-34.
“2016 Children's Mental Health Report.” Child Mind Institute, childmind.org/report/2016-
childrens-mental-health-report/.
Riley, Andrew R., et al. "Behavior and Mental Health: A Survey of Parents' Perceptions and Use
of Time-Out Compared to Empirical Evidence." Academic Pediatrics, vol. 17, 01 Mar.
2017, pp. 168-175. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.acap.2016.08.004.
Thompson, Richard, et al. "Child Behavior and Mental Health: Is the Use of Physical Discipline
Associated with Aggressive Behaviors in Young Children?." Academic Pediatrics, vol.
17, 01 Jan. 2017, pp. 34-44. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.acap.2016.02.014.