Financial difficulties and employment status in young people in care transitioning to adult life

Abstract

Young people in care find themselves in a precarious situation when they age out of the system. If they are to achieve the independence they desire, as well as sufficient personal well-being, they must have access to monetary resources. Starting from this premise, our study examines the differential effect of employment status (employed or unemployed) on each dimension of the EDATVA autonomy scale and Ryff’s well-being scale. It also identi­fies any significant differences between vulnerable youth with and without financial difficulties for each of these dimensions. To this end, we designed a quantitative study using a series of validated surveys to be completed online. The sample comprised 102 individuals who either lived in, or had recently left, group homes providing support for young people transitioning to adult life. Breakdown by sex was 62.7% male and 36.3% female. Data were analyzed us­ing the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U test and the R statistics software suite. Results indicated that having employment affected participants’ well-being, but not their level of autonomy. Significant differences between employed and unemployed youth were detected in the total score and in the following dimensions: positive relations; purpose in life; self-acceptance; and environmental mastery. Significant differences between individuals with and without financial difficulties were also apparent in the autonomy scale’s critical thinking and self-organization dimensions; and in the well-being scale dimensions of self-acceptance, purpose in life, posi­tive relations, environmental mastery, and personal growth, as well as the total score. These results provide a better understanding of how the specific situation of this group differs from that of other young people. Our findings provide important insights for the design of social and educational strategies to support these individuals as they transition to adult life.