Home and Family Sense for Children and Adolescents in Residential Care: Evidence from Spain

Celia García-deLeón and Laura Vallejo-Slocker ()
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Celia García-deLeón: Aldeas Infantiles SOS
Laura Vallejo-Slocker: Aldeas Infantiles SOS

Child Indicators Research, 2025, vol. 18, issue 5, No 16, 2295-2308

Abstract: Abstract Residential care in Spain supports 16,365 individuals, yet the role of feeling like a family in their lives remains unexplored. How this perception affects their quality of life is investigated in this research. Two studies were conducted: (1) a qualitative analysis of 318 children and adolescents (3–17 years) identified factors contributing to feeling like a family; these factors involved performing activities, events and traditions, positive emotions, social relationships and the physical environment; (2) a subsequent quantitative study of 254 participants (5–19 years) used structured interviews and the KidScreen instrument, employing chi-square tests and ordinal logistic regressions. Feeling like part of a family stems from shared activities, affectionate relationships, privacy, fair rules, social bonds, acceptance of their situation, satisfaction with their institution, and age. This feeling correlates with better quality of life, suggesting that interventions should enhance factors that foster familial bonds.

Keywords: Feel like family; Sense of home; Quality of life; Children and adolescents; Residential care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:chinre:v:18:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s12187-025-10274-2

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DOI: 10.1007/s12187-025-10274-2

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