Interpersonal Functioning in LAAC Adolescents
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Relationships Matter for Young People (YP) in Care: An Exploration of Interpersonal Functioning in Looked After and Accommodated (LAAC) during Adolescence.
IRAS ID
217225
Contact name
Sonal Raithatha
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 27 days
Research summary
Understanding relationships for young people in care.
Children in care have poorer long term outcomes and tend to experience higher levels of mental health difficulties. A number of national reports have highlighted that we need to be doing more to learn to better support this ‘at risk’ group. Relationships are of key importance for adolescents, with suggested links to positive well-being, good mental health and increased resilience. While it is known that positive relationships can improve well-being in this group, there is a lack of research that explores the needs of this vulnerable population in depth, using psychological theory as a framework to inform understanding and interventions.
The mixed methods study will aim to recruit 12-20 participants. Participation will last up to 2.5 hours in total (this can be divided into multiple sessions based on need) and will take place at a familiar location to the participant, such as their Child and Adolescent Mental Health outpatient department. Participants will be asked to fill in four questionnaires and take part in an informal audio recorded interview, in which they can talk about their own experiences of topics such as their friendships. This data will be analysed using grounded theory, to identify emerging patterns and themes.
Participants will be aged 13-18 and be ‘looked after and accommodated’ (i.e. not in the care of their parents at home), still have some contact with a birth parent and live in Lothian. The results of this study will be looked at together with existing literature related to the topic, to try to understand how young people think and feel about their relationships. Given that this population often struggle in a number of areas of daily life, particularly relationships, in comparison to their peers, it is hoped that the findings of this study can better inform the support that we offer.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 1
REC reference
17/WS/0168
Date of REC Opinion
27 Sep 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion