Social Support, Social Strain, and Postsecondary Persistence Among Youth with Foster Care Experience: A Longitudinal Analysis

Background and Purpose

Youth with foster care experience face barriers to postsecondary education (PSE), including housing instability, food insecurity, and disrupted social support. Social support may promote postsecondary access and persistence while social strain may undermine it. Prior research has rarely examined both support and strain as predictors of postsecondary outcomes, and most studies have focused on predictors of enrollment rather than persistence. This study examines: (1) how support and strain at ages 19 and 21 relate to postsecondary outcomes at age 23; (2) how changes from ages 19–21 relate to outcomes; and (3) whether they predict enrollment patterns over time.

Methods

We used data from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH), a longitudinal study of youth in California foster care. The sample includes 540 participants interviewed at ages 19, 21, and 23. Social support and strain were measured using a modified Social Support Network Questionnaire (SSNQ). Support was the mean of three items assessing emotional, tangible, and advice support; strain was the mean of four items assessing disappointment, intrusiveness, criticism, and conflict. PSE outcomes were (1) educational status at age 23 (high school only, disengaged from PSE, currently enrolled, credential attained) and (2) enrollment patterns across waves (never enrolled, early exit, late/intermittent enrollment, persistent enrollment). “High school only” indicates no postsecondary enrollment; “disengaged” indicates not currently enrolled and without a postsecondary credential. We used survey-weighted multinomial logistic regression and controlled for baseline educational status, race/ethnicity, sex, parenting status, economic hardship, food insecurity, and homelessness.

Results

Participants reported moderate social support (M = 2.58/4.0) and lower social strain (M = 2.04/4.0). At age 23, 30.7% had attained a credential (including vocational certificates/licenses and 2- or 4-year degrees), 11.3% were currently enrolled, 32.2% had disengaged from PSE, and 25.8% had high school only. Across waves, 36.2% never enrolled in PSE, 26.8% exited early, 11.5% were intermittently enrolled, and 25.6% were persistently enrolled. Several predictors were statistically significantly associated with the outcomes (p < .05). Neither social support nor strain at ages 19 or 21 predicted age-23 status. Prior enrollment at age 19 predicted later enrollment and credential attainment. Homelessness at age 21 decreased the likelihood of completing a credential. Black and mixed/other youth were more likely than White youth to be currently enrolled than to have high school only, while males had lower odds than females of intermittent enrollment. Changes in support and strain from ages 19–21 did not predict pathway type. When examining predictors of enrollment patterns, higher social support at age 21 predicted persistent enrollment, whereas greater social strain predicted early exit. Food insecurity at age 19 predicted never enrolling, economic hardship at age 19 predicted early exit, and food insecurity at age 21 predicted late or intermittent enrollment. Male sex was associated with early exit and intermittent enrollment.

Conclusions and Implications

Material hardship was associated with enrollment, while social support at age 21 was associated with persistence, suggesting the need to address basic needs and strengthen support in foster care and campus settings.