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EDCO 790 CASE STUDY
Case Study
Jaquasia C. Vandross
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Introduction
Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected how we connect and
socialize. Due to recommendations for social distancing, video platforms have become
increasingly popular. This interview was conducted via ZOOM to uphold agency policy
and maintain safety for both parties. ZOOM is a cloud-based video communications app
that allows you to set up virtual video and audio conferencing, webinars, live chats,
screen-sharing, and other collaborative capabilities. On Thursday, November 9th, 2023, I
was afforded the opportunity to engage in a 50-minute interview with an extraordinary
young woman who experienced a series of traumatic events that were meant to leave
her depressed, discouraged, and defeated. Before the interview began, the interviewee
and interviewer discussed the interview's purpose, the interviewee's role in this
assignment, and confidentiality. The interviewee acknowledged that she understood the
information relayed to her and agreed to share her story.
The interviewee is fifteen-year-old “Jasmine Wells,” an African-American female
residing in the Bronx, New York, with her one-month-old son and Foster Mother, Ms.
Evergreen. Jasmine entered the foster care system when she was twelve years old.
Since then, Jasmine has experienced several foster homes, group homes, case
workers, counselors, and physicians. Jasmine is one of the 391,000 children in the
foster care system in the United States [Cite].
At the time of this interview, Jasmine is still refusing to seek mental health treatment but
has acknowledged that she has experienced an event that has had a traumatic impact
on her life, impeding her daily functioning.
Children in foster care have high rates of adverse childhood experiences and are at risk
for mental health problems.
Interview findings
Jasmine answered the seven questions provided in accordance with the case study
assignment. These questions led to answers that recounted Jasmine’s experiences,
trauma, short and long-term effects, and the utilization of coping techniques. The
questions are as follows: Can you describe the traumatic event you experienced? How
did you respond immediately following the event? What coping strategies did you use?
What longer-term symptoms or effects did you experience? Did you receive a formal
diagnosis? What counseling services and treatment have you received, and how did
these help? How has your life changed as a result of this trauma?
The interview began with the interviewer asking Jasmine to describe the traumatic event
she experienced. Jasmine was removed from the home of her Natural Mother (NM), Ms.
Wells, after Ms. Wells called the Administration for Children Services (ACS), stating that
she was unable and unwilling to care for Jasmine and her behavioral and mental health
needs. It was reported and documented that Jasmine was acting out, running away
from home, sexually active, and abusing substances. Ms. Wells feared Jasmine was
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becoming a danger to her and the younger children in the home, so removal was
necessary. However, what wasn’t reported or documented was the cause for the drastic
change in Jasmine's behavior and the decline of her mental health. Between the ages of
ten and twelve, Jasmine experienced physical and sexual abuse at the hands of Ms.
Well’s paramour, Mr. Evans. While alarming, abuse by a parent substitute is not
uncommon. According to
“Why did you not immediately tell an adult when it first happened?” A question that
Jasmine has been tasked with answering countless times. Jasmine had been
threatened into silence. Mr. Evans had convinced Jasmine that no one would believe
her if she told and that if she ever did tell, he would hurt her, and no one would care, nor
would they miss her. As a young and impressionable child, she believed this and kept
quiet about the abuse, fearing the consequences.
Despite the constant threats, a few weeks before being removed from the home,
Jasmine told someone about what was happening. “I was young, but I knew what was
happening to me; what he was doing to me wasn’t right. I knew that and needed to tell
someone,” says Jasmine. Jasmine stated that though she feared the outcome, she had
finally worked up the courage to confide in her mother, and that’s where Jasmine said,
“Things just went downhill from there.” She was labeled a liar, homewrecker,
problematic, and dangerous.
“Before I realized what was happening, before I could tell my side of the story, I was
packed up and shipped off to the Children’s Village. For the reader’s knowledge, The
Children’s Village (CV) is a nonprofit organization working with underserved children
and their families. The CV provides a wide array of services, including but not limited to
Immigration services, foster care, family preservation, short-term shelters, and housing
and community outreach programs (childrensvilliage.org, 2023).
While Jasmine and her Natural Mother never quite saw eye to eye, she never would
have imagined that she would choose Mr. Evans over her own daughter. “I was young,
so I couldn’t fully grasp what was going on, nor could I put words to what or how I was
feeling, but I knew from that day on things would never be same between my mother
and me,” says Jasmine.
The interviewer gave Jasmine a few minutes to attend to her son and collect herself. As
you can imagine, digging up such a traumatic-induced event can also bring up some
unwanted feelings. The interview reconvened with the interviewer asking Jasmine how
she responded immediately following this traumatic event. “I completely shut down.
Again, I was a child, only twelve years old. I didn’t know how to feel or what I was even
feeling”, says Jasmine. Jasmine confirmed that during the time she was in her NM, Ms.
Wells’ home, she had fallen in with a group of individuals who introduced her to vaping,
marijuana, and alcohol. Jasmine went on to say that she ran away twice but realized
she had nowhere to go, so she always returned home. Jasmine also reported that while
her NM stated that she was sexually active while under her care, that it was a lie, she
confirmed that she did not start willingly having sex until she was removed from the
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Before being prompted, Jasmine explained that drinking, smoking, and having sex were
her coping methods; it was her escape from reality. While Jasmine is fully aware now
that those coping skills were not conducive or healthy, at the time, they felt like her only
option. It wasn’t until Jasmine attempted to take her own life that she realized that she
needed professional help. Jasmine was hospitalized for a week, undergoing observation
and talking with physicians and social workers. After being discharged from the hospital,
she was connected with a therapist, whom she met with weekly until she decided to
terminate the sessions. “I knew I needed help, and I knew I needed better coping skills,
but at the age of fourteen, I didn’t feel like sitting in a room speaking with a therapist
who could never understand what I was going through or how I was feeling. She
couldn’t help me, so I just stopped going and kept coping the best way I knew how,”
says Jasmine.
According to Kaewkiattikun (2017), “Being a victim of rape at a young age is associated
with more long-term and severe consequences, like mental disorders.” Similarly,
Eastman et al. (2019) reported that “Children who have been maltreated are at
increased risk for adolescent pregnancy.” Both statements hold particularly true for
Jasmine, who was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Jasmine also disclosed that she has been treated
for STDs a total of three times. In addition to the previously mentioned, Jasmine
became pregnant at the age of fifteen with twins and unfortunately lost one during the
pregnancy. Giving birth to her first child in October, Jasmine finally found a reason to
keep living. “having a child gave me hope; it wasn’t about me anymore. I had to get up,
dust myself off, and keep fighting. I had a little boy to look after,” says Jasmine.
As mentioned, Jasmine refused to seek treatment for her diagnosis and attempted to
self-medicate. Refusing therapy is not uncommon among youth in the foster care
system.
Analysis and Discussion
Children enter foster care with many forms of adversity and trauma beyond
maltreatment that impact their short- and long-term physical, mental, and developmental
health and their adaptation to their new care environment. Applying an understanding of
the impact of toxic stress on the developing brain and body allows the health care
provider to understand findings in this vulnerable population. Complex trauma alters
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immune response, neurodevelopment, and the genome, resulting in predictable and
significant cognitive, behavioral, and physical consequences. Pediatric care of children
in foster care must be trauma-informed to meet their medical, mental health, and
developmental needs.
Children in foster care have high rates of adverse childhood experiences and are at risk
for mental health problems.
