Existential Well-being among Young People Leaving Care
Self-feeling, Self-realisation, and Belonging
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12902106 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maritta Törrönen (0000-0002-4487-9315, University of Helsinki, corresponding author), Carol Munn‐Giddings (0000-0001-9851-4090, Anglia Ruskin University), Riitta Vornanen (0000-0002-1600-3893, University of Eastern Finland) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 295-311 |
| Publication date | 2022-11-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ethics and Social Welfare (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1749-6535 • E-ISSN: 1749-6543 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17496535.2022.2140176 |
| OpenAlex | W4308974125 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 31 |
This study explores young people’s perceptions of their existential well-being during the transition after leaving care. We use the theoretical framework of ‘existential well-being,’ which is a relational approach. The study deploys participatory action research methodology and involves peer research with 74 young people leaving care aged 17–32 in Finland (2011–2012) and England (2016–2018). The data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and thematically analysed.We identified three inter-linking categories of existential well-being related to the basic issues of being a person: who one is and where one belongs. Self-feeling involves the importance of how one feels about oneself and one’s physical and mental health and security. Self-realisation relates to one’s hopes and the means for making one’s own decisions in everyday life. Belonging concerns the confidence one expresses in one’s supportive social networks.The findings highlight that, alongside the practical issues of out-of-home care, attention should increasingly focus on young people's reflections on their own lives, and an ethics of care should be developed to better meet their needs. These findings argue for the need to further support young people’s psychosocial and mental health in child welfare policy and practice
Action (physics · Existentialism · Feeling · Focus group · Health care · Mental health · Political science · Psychosocial · Psychotherapist · Realisation · Self · Sociology · Child Welfare and Adoption · Family Support in Illness · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Psychology · Social Psychology
Resilience and Young People Leaving Care
Distinction
Care leavers’ views about transition
Existential social work and the quest for existential meaning and well-being
Developing Employment Opportunities for Care Leavers
Children in out-of-home care as young adults
Integrating an Existential Perspective in Youth Care
The significance of a secure base
Growing up in foster care
Sleep and parent-family connectedness
Care leavers in early adulthood
Constructing a global understanding of the social ecology of leaving out of home care
Understanding care leavers as youth in society
Transitional patterns when leaving care – Care leavers’ agency in a longitudinal perspective
Young People’s Experiences of Family Connectedness
Best Practices in the Reporting of Participatory Action Research
The Idea of Justice
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |