Measurement of the difference in attitude of foster parents as a result of having a hard-to-place child

This study was designed to examine the difference in attitude of foster parents as a result of having a hard-toplace foster child. The general purposes of this study were to determine if differences in attitudes existed between those foster parents who have had a hard-to-place foster child and those who have not had a hard-to-place foster child and to isolate some significant factors in the placement of the hard-to-place child.

To accomplish these purposes a questionnaire was mailed to 282 foster parents. Differences in attitudes were calculated on the 62 responses via computer tabulation using chi square tests, t-tests and Pearson correlations. The major findings of the research indicate that male foster parents' attitudes toward hard-to-place children become less positive after having a hard-to-place child and the number of years the parent has been a foster parent is a significant factor in the foster parent's attitude.