Fundamental Uncertainty: An Existential Phenomenological Exploration of Existential Dimensions Experienced by Youths in Residential Care

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the existential dimensions of youths’ lived experiences in residential care through an existential–phenomenological approach. Based on in-depth interviews and participant observations with 16 youths in Swedish residential care, the study investigates how young people navigate existential concerns such as freedom, anxiety, and meaning within an institutional context. The findings indicate that the experience of being in care is marked by a fundamental uncertainty, shaped by both structural conditions and existential challenges. This uncertainty was interpreted through three themes: reorientation and change, transience and impermanence, and discerning and situating freedom. The study concludes that existential anxiety and uncertainty are deeply intertwined in youths’ everyday lives in care, often manifesting as ambivalence, disconnection, and a struggle to make sense of agency and time. To address these challenges, the study proposes that combining phenomenological methods with existential theory offers valuable insights for practitioners working with institutionalized youths. This perspective encourages professionals to engage with existential questions as part of care practices, supporting youths’ meaning-making in times of instability and transition.