Through a relational lens: reflections about foster care experience in Italian emancipated foster youth

The study aimed to investigate relational outcomes of Italian emancipated foster youth across open-ended reflections about their perceptions of their relationships with the biological and foster family, with partner and peers. A total of 26 Italian emancipated foster youth (19–25 years old) recruited by social services completed a single in-depth interview. A qualitative thematic analysis was selected for this study. The results revealed two major themes of foster care experience that emerged often simultaneously from the participants’ narration: (1) Positive Relational Outcomes including “Feeling supported,” “Sense of belonging,” “Good memories,” “Relationship with family of choice,” and “Staying in touch”; and (2) Negative Relational Outcomes referring “Devaluation,” “Refuse,” “Bad memories,” and “Isolation.” Foster care experience leads to complex relational perceptions in emerging adulthood according to different relational outcomes and ways of processing foster care experience. Professionals could work on relational outcomes and memories, especially during a critical transition like emerging adulthood, to support youth in making sense of their past experiences.