Foster Parent Training, Parenting Self-Efficacy and Positive Parenting Behaviors

The purpose of this study was to provide a greater understanding of the relationships between foster parent training, parenting self-efficacy (PSE), and positive parenting behaviors. This study also aimed to explore some of the challenges that foster parents report in trying to positively parent their foster children. A snowball approach was used to identify past and present foster parents (N = 297) from across the U.S. Participants completed an anonymous, online survey measuring their experience with foster parent training, PSE, and parenting behaviors. Quantitative results indicated different curricula predicted different aspects of PSE, and both Nurturance PSE and Achievement PSE predicted positive parenting behaviors. Qualitative results revealed that the most commonly reported foster parenting challenges were related to foster parenting agencies, child behaviors, and biological families.