Event Fullness of the Guardians’ Life Perspective as a Relationship Characteristic in the Kinship and Non-Kinship Guardians’ Families

Objectives. Analyzing the differences in the event structure of the kinship and non-kinship guardians’ life perspective. Background. The implementation of the family life management policy for orphaned children and children without parental care leads to an increase in the number of foster families. The study is carried out in the paradigm of situational and subject approaches which allow to considered guardianship as a special life situation. The research attention is focused on the psychological resources of guardian families that provide successful coping with life difficulties. This article examines the life perspective of guardians as one of such resources. Study design. The study was conducted in the form of a structured interview. Frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, comparative analysis were used for data processing. Participants. The study involved 158 female guardians of school-age children living in Nizhny Novgorod and St. Petersburg (56 kinship guardians and 102 non-kinship guardians). Comparison groups consisted of 70 women — mothers and grandmothers of school-age children. Measurements. To collect empirical data, a modification of the “Psychological autobiography” method was used. Results. The results show that non-kinship guardians demonstrate a higher level of subjectivity in relation to their own future, less emotional involvement in the interaction with children and less deep understanding, life experience and life perspective, than the kinship guardian. Conclusions. The life perspective of kinship and non-kinship guardians is rigidly defined and is characterized by a narrow range of significant experiences in comparison with women of the same age who are not guardians. The results of the study highlight the importance of a differentiated approach to the psychological support of kinship and non-kinship guardian families. Study design. The study was conducted in the form of a structured interview. Frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, comparative analysis were used for data processing. Participants. The study involved 158 female guardians of school-age children living in Nizhny Novgorod and St. Petersburg (56 kinship guardians and 102 non-kinship guardians). Comparison groups consisted of 70 women — mothers and grandmothers of school-age children. Measurements. To collect empirical data, a modification of the “Psychological autobiography” method was used. Results. The results show that non-kinship guardians demonstrate a higher level of subjectivity in relation to their own future, less emotional involvement in the interaction with children and less deep understanding, life experience and life perspective, than the kinship guardian. Conclusions. The life perspective of kinship and non-kinship guardians is rigidly defined and is characterized by a narrow range of significant experiences in comparison with women of the same age who are not guardians. The results of the study highlight the importance of a differentiated approach to the psychological support of kinship and non-kinship guardian families.

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