Adopting after Infertility. Messages from Practice, Research and Personal Experience

Selwyn, Julie

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2011.00764.x

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…It is not surprising then that adoptees feel like their arrival into the family was an alternative strategy or 'plan B' for their adoptive parents. Hendry and Netherwood (2010) proposed that different life events can prompt the psychological impact of infertility to resurface. Authors proposed that feelings of loss associated with infertility are triggered by specific occurrences such as the arrival of the child into the home; contact with birth parents both direct and indirect; during different developmental stages of the child's life, such as reaching adolescence; the adoptee having their children.…”

Section: " (P6)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cudmore (2005) suggested that the adoptive parent's capacity to reflect on this loss is crucial to the relationship with the adopted child. In addition, feelings of loss of control are exacerbated in infertile couples seeking to adopt due to uncertainties regarding the child's background, the timing of the child's arrival in the home, and the completion of the adoption order (Thorn, 2010). Farnfield (2019), using the dynamic maturational model version of the adult attachment interview (DMM-AAI) alongside additional questions about infertility, observed a very low rate of security in adopted parents (13%) and a high level of unresolved loss (58%).…”

Section: " (P6)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trauma in midlife adoptees: a qualitative analysis of Adult Attachment Interview narratives

Dalton¹,

Tony²,

McLaughlin³

2022

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Background: Although adoption is recognised as a life-long process, there are few studies which extend to midlife, and explored the lived experience of being an adoptee.Objective: The present study explored the lived experience of midlife adoptees, using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George et al. 1985-1996) to generate data that can be analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Participants and setting: AAIs were conducted with 17 adopted adults with a variety of pre and post-adoption experiences. Method: Participant narratives were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, guided by the process laid out in Braun and Clarke (2021).Results: Analysis resulted in the identification of three distinct themes: (i) 'Coming out of the fog' (ii) Unresolved Grief (iii) Living in Fear. In addition, there were five subthemes.Conclusions: This study provides evidence of trauma associated with adoptive status, our themes captured unique challenges derived from adoptive status, regardless of the variation within adoption experience. The implications of these challenges for future research, practice and policy are discussed.

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Section: " (P6)mentioning

confidence: 99%