Nathanael J Okpych
Biographic Data
| ID | 4416225 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nathanael J Okpych |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nathanael J |
| FAMILY NAME | Okpych |
| SIGNATURE | OKPYCH N J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Chicago |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5929-7716 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 165 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 23 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
The Transition-Age Youth Special Interest Group
This paper provides an overview of the history and current activities of a group of researchers focused on the experiences of young people who “age out” of foster care in the United States. These transition-age youth (TAY) often have intersecting marginalized identities, as youth of color, queer youth, and youth with disabilities are disproportionately represented in care. Members of the Transition-Age Youth Special Interest Group (TAY-SIG) condu…
Crossing the Finish Line
Role of juvenile incarceration in education
Co-producing service experiences for transition-age youth in foster care
Effectiveness of public-nonprofit collaboration
Next article No AccessEffectiveness of public-nonprofit collaboration: Transitional housing placements for foster youth in STATE foster careSunggeun Park, Nathanael J. Okpych, and Mark E. CourtneySunggeun Park, Nathanael J. Okpych, and Mark E. CourtneyPDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookxLinkedInRedditEmailPrint SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of the Society for Soci…
Examining prevalence and predictors of food insecurity for transition-age youth transitioning out of foster care
Transition-age youth with foster care involvement (TAY) face significant risks for food insecurity and other hardships in early adulthood. Using representative survey data of youth transitioning out of foster care in California, we examine the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity. We find that about 30% of study participants were food insecure at ages 19, 21, and 23. We also identify multiple risk and protective factors associated with be…
Relationships That Persist and Protect
Long-lasting, supportive relationships (what we call “enduring relationships”) are important for youths’ transition to adulthood, but these relationships are often ruptured for young people in foster care. We investigate how common enduring relationships are among youth making the transition out of care and whether having an enduring relationship improves their outcomes in early adulthood. Our sample includes 608 youths in California foster care …
Estimating a national college enrollment rate for youth with foster care histories using the National Youth in Transition Database (Nytd)
The launch of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) in 2011 was a watershed moment in the history of studying older youth in foster care. For the first time, there was the prospect of generating national estimates of key policy-relevant outcomes, such as the rate youth enroll in postsecondary education (PSE). However, flaws in NYTD’s survey items limit its usefulness. For example, NYTD’s education items only ask about current school en…
The impact of Covid-19 on campus-based support programs serving students with foster care experience
Co-production of Care Leavers’ Transition Planning as Young Adults
The co-production of transition planning (i.e. care leavers having opportunities to influence decisions about their lives) is recognised as an important process internationally. However, little is known about factors influencing care leavers’ involvement in transition planning. This study uses a sample of care leavers in California (n = 423) and multiple data sources, including youth–worker matched data, to investigate predictors of transitional …
The roles of Campus-Support Programs (CSPs) and Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs) on college persistence for youth with foster care histories
Predictors of foster youths’ participation in their transitional independent living plan (Tilp) development
The relationship between extended foster care and college outcomes for foster care alumni
The federal Fostering Connections law gives states the option to increase the foster care age limit from age 18 up to age 21. This law could potentially improve postsecondary education outcomes for youth in foster care. We analyze data collected from a longitudinal study of foster youth in three Midwestern states (n = 732). Linear probability models and instrumental variable models estimated the impact of years in care past age 18 on three outcom…
The role of avoidant attachment on college persistence and completion among youth in foster care
Characteristics of foster care history as risk factors for psychiatric disorders among youth in care
This study evaluates foster care history characteristics as risk factors for psychopathology. We examine characteristics of youths' foster care histories separately and as a gestalt (i.e., identification of latent classes). Six mental health disorders and lifetime suicide attempt were assessed via in-person interviews with a representative sample of older adolescents in California foster care (n = 706). Information on respondents' foster care his…
Who Goes to College? Social Capital and Other Predictors of College Enrollment for Foster-Care Youth
Objective: This study investigated social capital, risk factors, and protective factors associated with the likelihood that youth in foster care will enroll in college. We tested three hypotheses: (a) having a greater number of institutional agents promotes college enrollment, (b) encouragement from school personnel to pursue postsecondary education promotes college enrollment, and (c) the number of institutional agents and amount of school encou…
A Historical Perspective on the Future of Innovation in Social Work
Changing social work from a profession with innovators to a profession that innovates will likely require an innovation movement. This article draws on lessons from a prior movement in social work to suggest implications for a future innovation movement. Empirical clinical practice (ECP), a movement in social work in the 1970–1990s, sought to transform social work into a profession that was thoroughly grounded in the empirical investigation. The …
Catalyzing Innovation in Social Work Practice
Social innovation is defined by novelty and improvement. This definition requires social work practice to be more effective or efficient than preexisting alternatives. Practice innovation is accomplished by leveraging technical, social, and economic factors to generate novel interventions, diffusion or adoption of the interventions into broader use, and identification of the value created by the new approaches or processes. Innovation in social w…
Receipt of independent living services among older youth in foster care
Does education pay for youth formerly in foster care? Comparison of employment outcomes with a national sample
Rhyme and Reason of Practice Paradigms
A Historical Analysis of Evidence-Based Practice in Social Work
We provide a novel historical account of social work practice that situates the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement as an attempt to fulfill a long-standing ambition to develop a practice grounded in empirical research. Based on Thomas Kuhn’s conceptualization of scientific paradigm shifts, we argue that social work praxis has been organized by three successive practice paradigms: moral, authority, and empirical. A systematic attempt to shift …
Policy framework supporting youth aging-out of foster care through college
Does education pay for youth formerly in foster care? Comparison of employment outcomes with a national sample
A Historical Analysis of Evidence-Based Practice in Social Work
We provide a novel historical account of social work practice that situates the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement as an attempt to fulfill a long-standing ambition to develop a practice grounded in empirical research. Based on Thomas Kuhn’s conceptualization of scientific paradigm shifts, we argue that social work praxis has been organized by three successive practice paradigms: moral, authority, and empirical. A systematic attempt to shift …
Policy framework supporting youth aging-out of foster care through college
Receipt of independent living services among older youth in foster care
Who Goes to College? Social Capital and Other Predictors of College Enrollment for Foster-Care Youth
Objective: This study investigated social capital, risk factors, and protective factors associated with the likelihood that youth in foster care will enroll in college. We tested three hypotheses: (a) having a greater number of institutional agents promotes college enrollment, (b) encouragement from school personnel to pursue postsecondary education promotes college enrollment, and (c) the number of institutional agents and amount of school encou…
Relationships That Persist and Protect
Long-lasting, supportive relationships (what we call “enduring relationships”) are important for youths’ transition to adulthood, but these relationships are often ruptured for young people in foster care. We investigate how common enduring relationships are among youth making the transition out of care and whether having an enduring relationship improves their outcomes in early adulthood. Our sample includes 608 youths in California foster care …
The role of avoidant attachment on college persistence and completion among youth in foster care
The relationship between extended foster care and college outcomes for foster care alumni
The federal Fostering Connections law gives states the option to increase the foster care age limit from age 18 up to age 21. This law could potentially improve postsecondary education outcomes for youth in foster care. We analyze data collected from a longitudinal study of foster youth in three Midwestern states (n = 732). Linear probability models and instrumental variable models estimated the impact of years in care past age 18 on three outcom…
Catalyzing Innovation in Social Work Practice
Social innovation is defined by novelty and improvement. This definition requires social work practice to be more effective or efficient than preexisting alternatives. Practice innovation is accomplished by leveraging technical, social, and economic factors to generate novel interventions, diffusion or adoption of the interventions into broader use, and identification of the value created by the new approaches or processes. Innovation in social w…
The roles of Campus-Support Programs (CSPs) and Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs) on college persistence for youth with foster care histories
Co-production of Care Leavers’ Transition Planning as Young Adults
The co-production of transition planning (i.e. care leavers having opportunities to influence decisions about their lives) is recognised as an important process internationally. However, little is known about factors influencing care leavers’ involvement in transition planning. This study uses a sample of care leavers in California (n = 423) and multiple data sources, including youth–worker matched data, to investigate predictors of transitional …
Predictors of foster youths’ participation in their transitional independent living plan (Tilp) development
Examining prevalence and predictors of food insecurity for transition-age youth transitioning out of foster care
Transition-age youth with foster care involvement (TAY) face significant risks for food insecurity and other hardships in early adulthood. Using representative survey data of youth transitioning out of foster care in California, we examine the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity. We find that about 30% of study participants were food insecure at ages 19, 21, and 23. We also identify multiple risk and protective factors associated with be…
Estimating a national college enrollment rate for youth with foster care histories using the National Youth in Transition Database (Nytd)
The launch of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) in 2011 was a watershed moment in the history of studying older youth in foster care. For the first time, there was the prospect of generating national estimates of key policy-relevant outcomes, such as the rate youth enroll in postsecondary education (PSE). However, flaws in NYTD’s survey items limit its usefulness. For example, NYTD’s education items only ask about current school en…
Policy framework supporting youth aging-out of foster care through college
Does education pay for youth formerly in foster care? Comparison of employment outcomes with a national sample
Rhyme and Reason of Practice Paradigms
A Historical Analysis of Evidence-Based Practice in Social Work
We provide a novel historical account of social work practice that situates the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement as an attempt to fulfill a long-standing ambition to develop a practice grounded in empirical research. Based on Thomas Kuhn’s conceptualization of scientific paradigm shifts, we argue that social work praxis has been organized by three successive practice paradigms: moral, authority, and empirical. A systematic attempt to shift …
Receipt of independent living services among older youth in foster care
A Historical Perspective on the Future of Innovation in Social Work
Changing social work from a profession with innovators to a profession that innovates will likely require an innovation movement. This article draws on lessons from a prior movement in social work to suggest implications for a future innovation movement. Empirical clinical practice (ECP), a movement in social work in the 1970–1990s, sought to transform social work into a profession that was thoroughly grounded in the empirical investigation. The …
Catalyzing Innovation in Social Work Practice
Social innovation is defined by novelty and improvement. This definition requires social work practice to be more effective or efficient than preexisting alternatives. Practice innovation is accomplished by leveraging technical, social, and economic factors to generate novel interventions, diffusion or adoption of the interventions into broader use, and identification of the value created by the new approaches or processes. Innovation in social w…
Who Goes to College? Social Capital and Other Predictors of College Enrollment for Foster-Care Youth
Objective: This study investigated social capital, risk factors, and protective factors associated with the likelihood that youth in foster care will enroll in college. We tested three hypotheses: (a) having a greater number of institutional agents promotes college enrollment, (b) encouragement from school personnel to pursue postsecondary education promotes college enrollment, and (c) the number of institutional agents and amount of school encou…
The role of avoidant attachment on college persistence and completion among youth in foster care
Characteristics of foster care history as risk factors for psychiatric disorders among youth in care
This study evaluates foster care history characteristics as risk factors for psychopathology. We examine characteristics of youths' foster care histories separately and as a gestalt (i.e., identification of latent classes). Six mental health disorders and lifetime suicide attempt were assessed via in-person interviews with a representative sample of older adolescents in California foster care (n = 706). Information on respondents' foster care his…
The relationship between extended foster care and college outcomes for foster care alumni
The federal Fostering Connections law gives states the option to increase the foster care age limit from age 18 up to age 21. This law could potentially improve postsecondary education outcomes for youth in foster care. We analyze data collected from a longitudinal study of foster youth in three Midwestern states (n = 732). Linear probability models and instrumental variable models estimated the impact of years in care past age 18 on three outcom…
The roles of Campus-Support Programs (CSPs) and Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs) on college persistence for youth with foster care histories
Predictors of foster youths’ participation in their transitional independent living plan (Tilp) development
Estimating a national college enrollment rate for youth with foster care histories using the National Youth in Transition Database (Nytd)
The launch of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) in 2011 was a watershed moment in the history of studying older youth in foster care. For the first time, there was the prospect of generating national estimates of key policy-relevant outcomes, such as the rate youth enroll in postsecondary education (PSE). However, flaws in NYTD’s survey items limit its usefulness. For example, NYTD’s education items only ask about current school en…
The impact of Covid-19 on campus-based support programs serving students with foster care experience
Co-production of Care Leavers’ Transition Planning as Young Adults
The co-production of transition planning (i.e. care leavers having opportunities to influence decisions about their lives) is recognised as an important process internationally. However, little is known about factors influencing care leavers’ involvement in transition planning. This study uses a sample of care leavers in California (n = 423) and multiple data sources, including youth–worker matched data, to investigate predictors of transitional …
Relationships That Persist and Protect
Long-lasting, supportive relationships (what we call “enduring relationships”) are important for youths’ transition to adulthood, but these relationships are often ruptured for young people in foster care. We investigate how common enduring relationships are among youth making the transition out of care and whether having an enduring relationship improves their outcomes in early adulthood. Our sample includes 608 youths in California foster care …
Effectiveness of public-nonprofit collaboration
Next article No AccessEffectiveness of public-nonprofit collaboration: Transitional housing placements for foster youth in STATE foster careSunggeun Park, Nathanael J. Okpych, and Mark E. CourtneySunggeun Park, Nathanael J. Okpych, and Mark E. CourtneyPDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookxLinkedInRedditEmailPrint SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of the Society for Soci…
Examining prevalence and predictors of food insecurity for transition-age youth transitioning out of foster care
Transition-age youth with foster care involvement (TAY) face significant risks for food insecurity and other hardships in early adulthood. Using representative survey data of youth transitioning out of foster care in California, we examine the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity. We find that about 30% of study participants were food insecure at ages 19, 21, and 23. We also identify multiple risk and protective factors associated with be…
Role of juvenile incarceration in education
Co-producing service experiences for transition-age youth in foster care
The Transition-Age Youth Special Interest Group
This paper provides an overview of the history and current activities of a group of researchers focused on the experiences of young people who “age out” of foster care in the United States. These transition-age youth (TAY) often have intersecting marginalized identities, as youth of color, queer youth, and youth with disabilities are disproportionately represented in care. Members of the Transition-Age Youth Special Interest Group (TAY-SIG) condu…
Crossing the Finish Line
Child Welfare and Adoption (18 works) · Foster care (18 works) · Medicine (17 works) · Psychology (17 works) · Nursing (15 works) · Political science (13 works) · Business (8 works) · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving (8 works) · Gerontology (7 works) · Sociology (7 works)