A systematic review of social support interventions for youth in foster care

Background: Experiencing foster care is associated with a range of negative outcomes in adulthood and identifying protective factors that can be leveraged by intervention efforts is crucial. Social support is one such factor that may have a positive benefit for this population. As such, this review aims to examine the breadth and quality of intervention studies which may be used to enhance social support for youth in foster care, as well as the types of support networks (e.g., family members) directly leveraged within interventions to promote social support. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across five databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane database, Scopus, and Web of Science). Included studies were written in English, present an original peer reviewed study on an intervention which may be used to enhance social support for youth in foster care, feature an experimental design, take place in the United States, include an examination of youth-specific social support, and include study participants school-aged and older. The quality of studies was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines. Results: Ten articles were included in the present review. The interventions discussed in the review included family finding and engagement efforts, skills training and mentoring programs, and a peer support group. Interventions varied in networks leveraged to promote social support; five involved family members and nonrelated adults, two used family members only, two included non-related adults only, and one involved peers. Studies also varied considerably in methodology used to assess social support. Six articles, representing four interventions, found evidence for interventions to positively impact youth social support. Conclusions: Evidence from the present review suggest that few experimental studies have been conducted on interventions to promote social support, and the included studies indicate that interventions vary considerably in program components, networks involved, and methodology used to assess social support. Though the literature is too limited to draw overarching conclusions and suggest promising models for future interventions, the findings highlight important gaps in the existing literature and provide useful guidance for future work. Future research should give careful attention to the networks utilized and methodology used to assess social support.