Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

PopulationsatRisk
SamiraAli
SW4997
ProfessorKleinSharpiro
WayneStateUniversity

ALI 1

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 2

Abstract
Thispaperwillevaluateatriskpopulationsandprovidedetailsthatwillshowsthatthis
populationisatrisk.Acasestudywasconductedconsistingof7femaleAfrican
Americansadolescentsinfostercare.Itobservedandgavetheseyoungwomenachance
togiveandtakeamongstoneanotherbeingthattheyareofthesameracialandethnic
background.Theyallpossessdifferenttraitsandbehavioralpatternsthatmakethisgroup
vitalforalearningexperience.Themajorityofthegroupmembersshowsymptomsof
depression,abuse,denial,andstrugglingforacceptanceandbelonging.
Inadditionyouwillseethedilemmasandproblemsthatthisatriskpopulationare
vulnerableto.Thegrouphadsevenmeetingsthatwereconductedwithasolepurposeof
providingtheseyoungwomenwithanopportunitytohelpshareexperiences,provide
feedback,identifyissuesandinturntrytoresolvetheirproblems.

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 3

ClientDescriptions
TheclientelearecomposedofelevenAfricanAmericanfemalesbetweentheagesof
fifteenthrougheighteen.AlyssaisfifteenandhersisterShanikaissixteen.Alyssaisdark
complicatedandtall.Shanikaisgoodlookingthinyounggirlwhoseemstowanttobea
leaderinthegroupbuthasnointerestinsharingherfeelingregardingschoolandher
fostercarestatus.Shetriestoshowthatnothingcanbotherherbecausesheistocool.
Theothergroupmemberslikedher.Gladysisfifteen,wearsglasses,mediumskin
toned,andoverweight.Gladysdenieshavinganissuesinherfostercaresystem.
HoweversheisveryinterestedininteractivediscussionsaboutAfricanculture,Black
Poweraswellasactivismwithintheschool.Candyisanaveragesize,darkskincolor
sixteenyearoldsufferingfromdepressionduetobeinginthefostercaresystem.
Dashanaissixteenyearsofageaverageskintonewhoseemstoneedhelpduetopossible
removalfromthefostermotherscarebecausesheislyingandhavingsex.Revaisan
attractivelightskinnedwellroundedgirlwhoisabitchildish.Shewasimmediately
willingtodiscussissueswithinthegrouphowevershewasmadefunoffbyasome
membersofthegroup.Thisinturncausedothergroupmemberstotryandprotecther..
Whygroupisconsideredanatriskpopulation.
Thesegirlsareattheagewheretheyarevulnerabletoexperimentingwithdrugs,andsex.
Therateofteenagepregnancyamongadolescentsinfostercareismuchhigherthan
amongtheirpeerswhoarenotinthefostercaresystem.AfricanAmericangirlsareat

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 4

risk,theyaremorelikelytobeexposedtochildabuseandsexualmisconduct.
Adolescentgirlsexperienceaconflictbetweentheirautonomousselfandheirneedtobe
feminine,betweentheirstatusashumanbeingsandtheirvocationasfemale(Pipher,
1994)
Moreoverinthisparticularcasestudymorethanoneclienthasadmittedtobeingabused.
Otherissuesregardingmental,behavioralandemotionaldistresshavealsobeen
confirmed.Typicallyteenyearscanbefunyetrecklessduetothelackofknowledgeand
supportfromatightknitfamilystructure.Earlyonthegirlsmaybeplacedinunstable
homeswheretheyareconstantlymovingfromplacetoplace.Theyareoftenlostand
tendtobemiserable,withmoreproblemsthantheycanhandleoranyhumanbeingcan
handleforthatmatter.Adolescencesareexclusiveandslowtotrustadults,Theyare
easilyoffendedbyaglance,aclearingofthethroat,asilence,alackofsufficient
enthusiasm,orasentencethatdoesntmeettheirimmediateneeds(Pipher,1994)
Theyallsufferfromtraumabecauseoftheimplicationsandconsequencestheir
liveshaveled.Inthefostercarehomestheadolescentsaresufferingfromemotional
andphysicalabusewhichiswhymanyofthegirlslookfromcomfortelsewhere.
Adolescentsinthefostercaresystemareatriskofarangeofnegativebehavior
describedarangeofinternalizingsymptomstosevereexternalizingbehaviors,suchas
delinquency,thatyouthinfostercaremayexhibit(Thompson,Wojciak,Cooley,2016).
Thesegirlsinfostercarearesusceptibletohigherlevelsofsuchbehaviorsthanother
populations.AstudybyMcMillenetal(2005)focusingspecificallyonolderyouthin
fostercarefoundthatthenumberoftypesofmaltreatmentexperienced,ratherthan

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 5

whetheryouthhadexperiencedindividualtypesofmaltreatment,wasastrongpredictor
ofavarietyofpsychiatricdisorders,includingmajordepression(Spitalnicketal.,2007).

Anotherreasonwhythesegirlsareatriskbecausetheyeducationlevelsarebelowthe
agelevelofgirlsthesameagethisisduetothelackofstabilityprovidedbyfostercare
homes.Theytendtomovefromfosterhometofosterhome.Everymovecouldleadtoa
differentschool.Thisistraumaticinitselfbecausetheconstantmovefromdifferent
homesandareascausesonetohavenointerestinschool,mayleadtofailingbehindor
evenfailing.Alsotheycouldfeelalonebecausetheylackfriendsfromtheconstantmove
aswellasnotbeingfamiliarwithschool,staff,andadministration.Accordingtothe
FosterFamiliesFunctioning,ExperiencesandViews:VariationsbyRaceFoster
parents,historically,tendtobethoughtofashavinglowereducationlevelsandthusare
generallyfromthelowersocioeconomicstrataofoursociety,factorswhichdonot
necessarilypredictabilitytoperformthetaskoffostering(Downs,1986;Kadushin&
Martin,1988).
Oftentimessomefosterparentsarenotabletoprovidetheadolescentsaloving,caring
familyorientedenvironmentbecausetheydonotformabondbecausetimeislimited.
Fosterfamiliesmayfaceissueswhenyouthseeksarelationshipwithbirthfamily.Ifthe
youthisabletovisitfamilyandstayintouchthiscouldleadtomixedfeelingsfromthe
fosterchild.JonesandMorrissette(1999)foundfosterchildbiologicalparentvisits,
anddealingwithchildren'sdisappointmentafteravisittobehighlystressfulforfoster
parents (Brown,Bednar,2006).Thistakesatollontheadolescentaswellasthefoster

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 6

family.Thefosteradolescentmaylashoutatthefamilyorseekotherwaystocopewhich
canbedestructive.Thistypeofreoccurringdisappointmentfromthebiologicalfamilyin
theyouthslifecancauseformanyyouthtobediagnosedwithpsychologicaldisorders.
Thedisorderscanbetreatedbytheuseofprescribedmedication.Themedicationcan
rangefromantipsychotics,antidepressantsandstimulants.Oftentimesonedevelopsa
dependencyonthesedrugs.Inturntheoveruseofprescriptiondrugscanbecomealarger
probleminitsentirety.Unfortunately,otheralternativesarenotavailableforthistypeof
diagnosis.Thebackgroundofthefosterfamiliesvaryitseemsduetorace.Accordingto
(Seaberg, Harrigan, 1999) only29.4%ofAfricanAmericanfostermothers
reportedconsultingprofessionalscomparedto53.8%ofCaucasianfostermothers.
DifferencesbyraceindicatedthatAfricanAmericanfosterparentswereolderthantheir
Caucasiancounterpartswhichpossiblyreflectedtheirlongerfosteringtenure;wereless
likelytobemarried;hadlessincomebutweremoreinclinedtobeworking;weremore
likelytohaveprovidedextendedfamilycare;andgenerallydesiredmoreinvolvement
withagencies (Seaberg, Harrigan, 1999).Iftheadolescentsareunabletobecared
forbyqualifiedandeducatedindividualstherewillalwaysbeanissue/conflict.Proper
education,developmentalaswellasmentoringsystemsshouldbesharedamongthe
fosterfamilyanditsorganizationasawhole.Peoplewhoareseekingtobecomefoster
parentsshouldhavetotakecoursesonparentingskillsduetotheatriskvulnerablefoster
youth.Itwilltaketimeforfostercareorganizationtogetpropertrainingandfundsto
reachouttotheirfosterfamiliesinordertohelpandnotharamthisadolescents.
Agency

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 7

Theagencyisapublicorganizationthatprovidesservicesforchildrenandfamilies.The
staffconsistsofallcertifiedMSWsocialworkers.Thespecificsocialworkerinthiscase
studyisafemalewhomistwentysevenyearsofageandisasupervisorintheagency,
specializingincaseandgroupwork.BeingCaucasianheroutlookofthepossibleissues
wouldgiveheragoodperspectiveofthedifferentinternalgroupstruggles.Moreover,
growingupinanAfricanAmericanneighborhoodhelpshermakemutualconnections
amongsttheseyoungwomen.Mutualaidgroupworkisthebestwaytohelptheseyoung
womenstrengthentheirconfidenceandidentitythroughpeergrouprelationsandallow
forselfreflection.
Purposeofgroupsessions
Itisimportanttoallowthegirlstoexpresstheirthoughtsandfeelingregardingthe
varioustopicsthatarediscussedinthesevengroupsessions.Forthegrouppreparation
thesocialworkerwantedtoshedlightaspectsofsex,boys,drugs,racism,aswellas
sexism.AccordingtoajournalofadolescencesTherelationshipbetweensexual
sensationseekingandsexualrisktakingforadolescentshasimportantimplicationsfor
practitionersandresearchers.Giventhatthisstudyrepresentsthefirsttoexaminesexual
sensationseekingamonganidentified,atriskadolescentsampleofAfricanAmerican
females(Spitalnicketal.,2007).AsAfricanAmericanfemalesthesegroupsessionsare
awaytoempowertheseyounggirlsinawaytoliveabetterqualitylife.Grouptherapy
helpsthemopenupandrealizethattheyarenotalone.Providingasafeatmosphereand
givesthemotivationtospeakup.Indealingwithdepressionandsocialanxiety,group
therapyassistsrelationshipskillsandreducesisolation.Thegirlsthatattendedthegroup

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 8

sessionswereabletoopenup,relate,andventabouttroublingissues.Someofthegirls
didnotattendallmeetings.Thegirlsseemedhesitateamongstoneanotheruntilthesocial
workerrecommendedthattheygatheraroundclosertoeachother.Notallmemberswere
eagertoopenupinthisgroupmeetingbecausetheyhadnotparticipatedinthisformof
counselingbefore.Aftertheybroketheiceandwereabletosuggestwhattopicsthey
wouldliketocover.Manyexpressedfeelingsaboutboys,sex,pregnancyandschool.
Theywereabletotalkaboutpreviousboyfriendsaswellaspastpersonalexperiences.
Thesocialworkerinitiatedadiscussionamongstthegirlswhichseemedtosparkeda
mutualdisregardforthelabelFosterchildren.Shanikahadmanymixedfeeling
regardingherbiologicalfamily.Shedidnotlookforwardtomeetingthem.Alysaissad
andafraidofvisitinghermotheraswell.BothShanikaandAlysahavehadhorriblevisits
previously.
Shanikaalwaysbroughtupthetopicaboutsex.Someofthegirlsalsospokebriefly
aboutit.Jarenaistooangryatherbiologicalmotherandfindsitdifficulttocopewith
herracialethnicbackground.Shepreferstostayawayfromhermotherbutsheknows
thatwillhaveanegativeaffectonherseeingheryoungersiblings.Candyissadbecause
shehasnotbeenunabletoseeherbrothersheincludesthatitishardnottoseeyour
mother.Sheismuchisolatedandalone.Bevaddedthatshedidnotfeelasifshewasa
fosterchild.Shestayedinahomeforalmosttenyearsandfeltasifshewaspartoftheir
family.Positivefostercareandlovefromafamilycanmakeallthedifferenceinan
adolescentslife.Vickystoodoutbecauseshecameacrossasfrightenedwithnoself
esteem.Self-esteem was found to be a significant mediator between

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 9

peer relationships and adolescents' report of their internalizing,

externalizing, and delinquent behaviors(Thompson, Wojciak, Cooley,
2016).
Sherryfeelsforcedtobeinthegroup.Sheclaimsshewasreferredherworkerandasked
ifthegroupwouldtaketrips.Gladysstatedshefeltthatthetitlefostermadeherfeelasif
shewaspartofacompletelydifferentraceandshehadtohideit.Bev,Gladys,and
SherryarehavingtroubleatschooltheydonotpledgetotheAmericanflagbecausethey
feelitisjustasymbolanditdoesnotstandforequality.Theyfeelthattheyarevictimsof
racialissues.Theyfeelbecausetheyareofcolortheyneedtobebetterthanothersin
ordertobelookatdifferently.Itwasaskediftheyfeltthatthesocialworkershouldbeof
colorwhenprovidingservicestothem.GladysprefersablacksocialworkerratherAlysa
saidthereisnodifference.Dashanahasbeentreatedhorriblybyherfostermother.She
feltasifshewasjustacleaninggirlandservant.Herfostermothercontinuedtothreaten
herandtellhershecango.Uncertainofwhattodoshejustcontinuedtosufferandopen
upinthegroupsessions.Dashanastatesthatherfostermotherallowherowndaughterto
bemessyathomeandDashanamustcleaneverything.ThemaltreatedthatDashanais
experiencingIherfosterhomeisconstantridiculefromherfostermother.Research
on foster child and family interaction includes references to the foster
parentchild relationship, relationships between the foster child and
the foster family's biological children, as well as the foster familybirth
family relationship. The nature and strength of these relationships are
associated with placement breakdown (Brown,Bednar,2006).

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 10

Thegroupsessionsarehelpfulinordertoallowhertovent.Thestruggleoverthe
directionofthegrouppersistswherethepulltowardandawayfromdifficultworkis
centraltoambivalentpeerrelationships (Lee,Rossi,1989).
Theissuesthatthesegirlcontinuetofaceintheirdailylivesisunfortunate.Thegroup
sessionareagreatwaytoexpressandsharefeelings,thoughts,andadvice.Towardthe
endofthesevensessionsthegroupasawholeisunified (Lee,Rossi,1989).
Normallynotallmembersofthegroupwillhavethesamereactiontotheassistancethey
receive.Eachindividualwillbenefitaccordingtotheacceptanceofassistancefromthe
socialworkandothergroupmembers.

EthicalDilemma

Social workers are expected to follow guidelines according to the NASW

Code of ethics when dealing with their clients. If for any reason a
behavior comes in to conflict this would cause a dilemma. In this paper
adolescent girls in foster care one must look out for the best interest of
these young ladies. The group sessions were a positive atmosphere for
the girls. The social worker did use code 1.01 Commitment Social
workers primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of clients.
Regarding Deshauna and the treatment she is receiving in her home
the social worker can use the code 1.14 Clients Who Lack DecisionMaking Capacity. When social workers act on behalf of clients who lack
the capacity to make informed decisions, social workers should take
reasonable steps to safeguard the interests and rights of those clients.
Deshauna is being treated badly by her foster mother the social work

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 11

could take the appropiate measures in order to report the abuse and
threats that she is receiving for the parent. The young girls need all the
support they can get in this crucial part of time in their life.
Conclusion
This paper was intended to shed light on the negative effects
that many foster care adolescents face in life and that is why they are
considered at risk population. The youth are maltreated. They are
depressed and suffer from behavioral, emotional, and mental
problems. The girls have all contributed in the group stating the issues
they have encountered. The issues may continue or possible come to a
stand still. It depends on the home system and the resources that are
provided for their further recovery. The fact of the matter is that these
girls are going through many challenges in life besides being foster
children. They are at that age where their bodies, mind and feelings
are going through changes . It is vital that they seek help from workers
in order to overcome all the negatives factors they have endured in
order to lead better lives and in turn be successful throughout their
lives. Every child deserves to have a sound family structure.

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 12

References:

Brown,J.D.,&Bednar,L.M.(2006).Fosterparentperceptionsofplacementbreakdown.Childrenand
YouthServicesReview,28(12),14971511.doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2006.03.004

Comminey,M.K.Whatistheafricanamericancommunities'experienceinthepublic
childwelfaresystemintheunitedstates?AsecondarydataanalysisoftheNSCAW
study(OrderNo.AAI1448196).AvailablefromSociologicalAbstracts.(60345400;
201022568).Retrievedfrom
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/60345400?accountid=14925
Farineau,H.M.(2015).AnEcologicalApproachtoUnderstandingDelinquencyof
YouthsinFosterCare.DeviantBehavior,37(2),139150.
doi:10.1080/01639625.2014.1004025

Running Head: POPULATIONS AT RISK

ALI 13

Jackson,SondraM."FosterCareintheAfricanAmericanCommunity.."Washington
Informer:23.Mar2007.ProQuest.Web.25May2016.
Lee,J.A.,&Rossi,T.(1989).Walkamileinmyshoes:Abookaboutbiologicalparentsforfosterparents
andsocialworkers.Washington,DC:ChildWelfareLeagueofAmerica.

Munson,M.R.,&McMillen,J.C.(2009).NaturalMentoringandPsychosocial
OutcomesamongOlderYouthTransitioningFromFosterCare.ChildrenandYouth
ServicesReview,31(1),104111.http://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.06.003
NationalAssociationofSocialWorkers(2008)CodeofEthicsoftheNational
AssociationofSocialWorkers,Washigton,DC.NASWPress

Pipher,M.B.(1994).RevivingOphelia:Savingtheselvesofadolescentgirls.NewYork:Putnam.

Salazar,A.M.,Keller,T.E.,&Courtney,M.E.(2011).UnderstandingSocialSupports
RoleintheRelationshipBetweenMaltreatmentandDepressioninYouthwithFoster
CareExperience.ChildMaltreatment,16(2),102113.
http://doi.org/10.1177/1077559511402985
Seaberg,J.R.,&Harrigan,M.P.(1999).Fosterfamilies'functioning,experiencesandviews:Variationsby
race.ChildrenandYouthServicesReview,21(1),3155.doi:10.1016/s01907409(99)000043

Thompson,H.M.,Wojciak,A.S.,&Cooley,M.E.(2016).Selfesteem:Amediator
betweenpeerrelationshipsandbehaviorsofadolescentsinfostercare.Childrenand
YouthServicesReview,66,109116.doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.05.003
Spitalnick,J.S.,Diclemente,R.J.,Wingood,G.M.,Crosby,R.A.,Milhausen,R.R.,Sales,J.M.,...
Younge,S.N.(2007).Briefreport:Sexualsensationseekinganditsrelationshiptoriskysexualbehaviour
amongAfricanAmericanadolescentfemales.JournalofAdolescence,30(1),165173.
doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2006.10.002