‘People like me don’t have much of a chance in life’: comparing the locus of control of young people in foster care with that of adoptees, children from disadvantaged backgrounds and children in the general population

‘People like me don’t have much of a chance in life’: comparing the locus of control of young people in foster care with that of adoptees, children from disadvantaged backgrounds and children in the general population

Dinithi Wijedasa · Adoption & Fostering

Secondary analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England compared adolescents in foster care, adoptees, disadvantaged young people and the general population. Researchers examined questionnaire items measuring perceived control over life. Fostered young people had higher external-control scores than adoptees and the general population, and similar scores to the disadvantaged group.

Limitations: Adoptees were a comparison group in research primarily examining fostering. The items were not a standardised locus-of-control scale. The abstract gives no adopted subgroup size; group differences do not establish effects of adoption or fostering. Publication relationship: this research was published by BAAF or in its Adoption & Fostering journal, now associated with CoramBAAF, an adoption-sector organisation. Publication does not establish that the organisation conducted the research; readers may take the institutional relationship into account.

Research type

Secondary cohort analysis

Source reviewed

Abstract

Peer reviewed

Yes

Age group

Adolescents