Coming of age in a pandemic era: The interdependence of life spheres through the lens of social integration of care leavers in Quebec during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper explores how the COVID-19 pandemic affected care leavers in Quebec, a social group already facing obstacles to social integration. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 48 participants and analysed through Castel’s zones of vulnerability model. Results suggest that youth who entered the pandemic with more vulnerabilities were more affected by it in all dimensions of their lives. However, results also suggest that the presence of a strong social support network protects even the most vulnerable ones from being overly afflicted, highlighting the importance of interventions that reinforce care leaver’s social support network during times of crisis.