Finding Understanding and Support: Navigating Online Communities to Share and Connect at the intersection of Abuse and Foster Care Experiences

Many children in foster care experience trauma that is rooted in unstable family relationships. Other members of the foster care system like foster parents and social workers face secondary trauma. Drawing on 10 years of Reddit data, we used a mixed methods approach to analyze how different members of the foster care system find support and similar experiences at the intersection of two Reddit communities - foster care, and abuse. Users who cross this boundary focus on trauma experiences specific to different roles in foster care. While representing a small number of users, boundary crossing users contribute heavily to both communities, and, compared to matching users, receive higher scores and more replies. We explore the roles boundary crossing users have both in the online community and in the context of foster care. Finally, we present design recommendations that would support trauma survivors find communities more suited to their personal experiences.