Adolescent development in context: Exploring psychopathology and competence in foster families and pandemic settings

This cumulative doctoral thesis explores developmental processes and psychosocial adjustment in vulnerable youth, framed within the perspective of developmental psychopathology. It focuses on two main areas: (a) mental health, identity and relationship development in adolescents raised in foster families, and (b) mental health trajectories in adolescents following the COVID-19 pandemic. Across both themes, the thesis examines how vulnerabilities and contextual risks interact with normative developmental tasks and psychopathology during adolescence. The first study examined identity development and psychological difficulties in adolescents in foster families compared to peers in biological families. Foster adolescents showed lower levels of commitment and exploration in the interpersonal domain of identity, indicating more challenges in identity formation. Across groups, lower commitment was linked to higher psychosocial burden, emphasizing the importance of identity as a developmental area closely related to mental health. Contrary to expectations, the groups did not differ significantly in overall psychological difficulties. The second study explored relationship quality with caregivers and best friends. While adolescents in foster and biological families did not differ in overall support or conflict levels, specific patterns emerged. Foster adolescents reported less support in friendships, while conflicts with foster caregivers were the strongest relational predictor of difficulties. Conversely, conflicts with best friends predicted difficulties among adolescents in biological families. These results suggest that the importance of relationships varies depending on caregiving experience. The third study examined the trajectory of psychological difficulties from Autumn 2021 to Spring 2023, a period after schools reopened. Results indicated increasing symptoms in the community sample, while high symptom levels in the clinical sample remained stable. Insecure-preoccupied attachment was associated with the highest levels of difficulties, highlighting attachment as a risk factor amid pandemic-related stress. Overall, the studies demonstrate how identity development, peer and caregiver relationships, and attachment intersect with psychopathology in risk contexts. The findings highlight the importance of viewing developmental outcomes as influenced by the interaction between age-specific tasks, individual vulnerabilities, and contextual factors stressors.