Date Submitted
9-2-2025
Faculty Advisor
Jason Malousek
Abstract
Trauma can significantly influence children’s emotional development and behavior, understanding its impact is essential for effective caregiving. This systematic narrative literature review addressed these questions: What validated trauma-informed parenting trainings reflected the best practices for foster parents and what components of those training programs proved to be the most effective? What validated trauma-informed parenting trainings did foster parents deem to be the most effective? The a priori hypotheses for this study were: (1) trauma-informed training programs for foster parents would include components aimed at reducing foster parent stress; (2) trauma-informed training programs for foster parents were expected to focus on educating parents about the effects of trauma on children’s behavior and emotional well-being; (3) the most effective trauma-informed training programs would introduce foster parents to resources, such as mental health services, therapy, and community-based support systems; (4) training programs focusing on improved parenting skills would correlate with higher retention rates among foster parents; (5) trauma-informed training programs would reduce placement disruptions. Findings from the ten studies provided potential support for hypotheses 1-3, trainings consistently incorporated stress-reduction strategies, trauma psychoeducation, and resource support, whereas evidence for hypotheses 4 and 5 (higher foster parent retention and fewer placement disruptions) remains limited. Overall, trauma-informed parent trainings showed preliminary evidence of improved parenting competencies, foster parent confidence, and behavioral outcomes for children by emphasizing psychoeducation, stress management, and access to resources and community support. A post-hoc hypothesis emerged suggesting additional training components, such as psychoeducation and kinship resources, might enhance trauma-informed training programs. Seven of the ten studies lacked control groups, limiting the ability to establish causal relationships between training and outcomes. The limitations prevented definitive conclusions about effectiveness. Psychology has an ethical obligation to pursue rigorous research definitively identifying which training approaches best support both healing and placement stability.
