Impact of alternative care environment and social support on UAM resilience and post-traumatic stress symptoms – A Belgian study

Unaccompanied Minors (UAM) in French speaking Belgium (Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles) are accommodated in three types of alternative care: collective centers, foster families and independent living. This research studies the influence of these alternative care environments on UAM resilience’s and post-traumatic stress symptoms. In addition, we analysed how these environment influence UAM perception of social support and how social support modify UAM resilience and post-traumatic stress symptoms.
Participants (N=30) were all male UAM between 16 and 20 years old. They were divided into groups according to their living arrangements (collective centres N=10, foster families N=10, autonomous living N=10). They were recruited through their social workers and completed three questionnaires: CYRM-28 for the assessment of resilience capacities, the IES-R for the assessment of the presence of a post-traumatic stress disorder and the SS-A for the assessment of perception of social support. The statistical analysis showed that UAM hosted in foster families and autonomous living showed higher levels of resilience and lower levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms. The type of care did not show a significant impact on their perception of social support. Finally, it appeared that social support had a positive but small impact on post-traumatic stress recovery and, to a greater extent, on the resilience of these young people. These findings suggest that foster families and autonomous living should be encouraged as a type of care arrangement for UAM.