Youths Aging out of Foster Care and Their Experiences Learning Mindfulness in an Arts-Based Group Program by Sean C. H. Loughee

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by LU|ZONE|UL Youths Aging Out of Foster Care and their Experiences Learning Mindfulness in an Arts-Based Group Program by Sean C. H. Lougheed A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Rural and Northern Health The Faculty of Graduate Studies Laurentian University Sudbury, Ontario, Canada © Sean Christopher Hewson Lougheed, 2016. THESIS DEFENCE COMMITTEE/COMITÉ DE SOUTENANCE DE THÈSE Laurentian Université/Université Laurentienne Faculty of Graduate Studies/Faculté des études supérieures Title of Thesis Titre de la thèse Youths Aging Out of Foster Care and their Experiences Learning Mindfulness in an Arts-Based Group Program Name of Candidate Nom du candidat Lougheed, Sean Degree Diplôme Doctor of Philosophy Department/Program Date of Defence Département/Programme Rural and Northern Health Date de la soutenance January 20, 2016 APPROVED/APPROUVÉ Thesis Examiners/Examinateurs de thèse: Dr. Diana Coholic (Supervisor/Directeur(trice) de thèse) Dr. Mark Eys (Committee member/Membre du comité) Dr. Robert Schinke (Committee member/Membre du comité) Approved for the Faculty of Graduate Studies Approuvé pour la Faculté des études supérieures Dr. David Lesbarrères Monsieur David Lesbarrères Dr. David Nicholas Acting Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies (External Examiner/Examinateur externe) Doyen intérimaire, Faculté des études supérieures Dr. Stephen Ritchie (Internal Examiner/Examinateur interne) ACCESSIBILITY CLAUSE AND PERMISSION TO USE I, Sean Lougheed, hereby grant to Laurentian University and/or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or for the duration of my copyright ownership. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also reserve the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that this copy is being made available in this form by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. ii Abstract As the field of research investigating mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) continues to expand, studies implementing MBIs with older marginalized youth are scarce. I developed and explored the implementation of an innovative MBI with a small group of youth transitioning out of foster care due to their age. In general, these youth remain underrepresented in qualitative research processes, furthering their public “invisibility” and hampering our understanding of their long-term health and education outcomes. Since we know that many youth in care suffer a variety of long term negative consequences due to experiences of trauma, loss, and family dysfunction, and because we lack understanding regarding beneficial programs for these youth, research is necessary to support policies and programs that promote the resilience of youth in care. I was interested in better understanding these youths’ viewpoints about resilience, and their understanding of mindfulness. The lack of research exploring MBIs with youth aging out of foster care necessitated an exploratory approach. Applying qualitative inquiry and a constructivist lens, I collected data from eight participants who participated in two different groups. I interviewed the youths using open-ended questions in three semi-structured interviews prior to, immediately after, and four months following participation in a holistic 10-week arts-based mindfulness group program. A follow-up meeting was held with all of the youth one year after the groups were completed. Using an inductive form of interpretive thematic analysis, my analysis of the data yielded themes illustrating the participants’ perceptions of the challenges that they endured; the key features of resilience; their understanding of mindfulness; the benefits of learning mindfulness; and the perceived helpfulness of the group experience. iii These findings helped me to illustrate new insights about the benefits, challenges, and opportunities afforded by implementing MBIs with older youth in care. I found that the arts- based mindfulness group program was suitable and the youth expressed several benefits of learning mindfulness for their day-to-day lives including increased self-awareness and improved emotion regulation. The implications for service providers and other allies of marginalized youth are considered, and recommendations for future researchers are provided. Keywords: arts-based, care leavers, fun, holistic, marginalized, mindfulness, mutual aid, youth in care, foster care, resilience, social support, thematic analysis, aging out of care, group work iv Acknowledgements To the many youth facing dark days and darker nights - things can be better and we still have a long way to go, but there are people that care all around, even if it is hard to see. Hang in there. You are loved. To the young adults in this study, and to their kin and foster families - thank you for investing your time and energy. My hope is your memories of this experience give you cause to smile. You have within you so much wisdom to share. The world belongs to those with hope and the courage to act on it. Thank you to Laura Honey for your energy and devotion to the group process; boy, did I luck out! Thank you to Darren deRoon and colleagues within the Ministry of Children and Family Development for their willingness to participate in this research process and for displaying a high level of professionalism in supporting vulnerable and marginalized youth. I also appreciate the important contributions of my employers and colleagues at Canadian Mental Health Association Kenora Branch, and Canadore College, namely Anita Webb and Lisa McCool-Philbin, who at important times removed barriers that allowed me to carry the yardstick a little further down the field. Your decision to invest in me is not lost on me. Thank you to an old soul from my time at the University of Victoria, Dr. Roy Ferguson. I really lucked out there too. I appreciate your kind words and guidance from afar this time around as well. Thank you to the School of Rural and Northern Health faculty, staff, and colleagues for helping me arrive at this point. Special thanks to my committee members, Dr. Robert Schinke, and Dr. Mark Eys, for their time and thoughtful consideration of my topic and my paper. I enjoyed incorporating your feedback because I knew your perspectives strengthened my work. My supervisor, Dr. Diana Coholic, is a giant. She is smart, responsive, articulate, and patient. These are important qualities to demonstrate when you work with me, just ask my family. What v wonderful role models! I come from, and married into, good stock and I am never at a loss for support (Mom, Dad, Ma, Moose, Mimi, Poppy, Bro, Sis, et al.). Finally, thank you Erika, River, and Audrey. You light my life in ways no man dare dream of deserving. While it is an incredible privilege to study at this level, the process is a collective undertaking with continual sacrifice and few tangible rewards. Thank you for your steadfast support. vi Table of Contents THESIS DEFENSE COMMITTEE ................................................................................................................................ II ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................. III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... V TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................ VII LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................................... X LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................................................... XI LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................ XII CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM ....................................................................................................................................... 1 PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................................. 10 RESEARCH DESIGN .......................................................................................................................................................

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