Protagonists' and Adoptive Process Representations in Italian Children's Books About International Adoption: A Qualitative Study

Greco, Ondina; Comelli, Ivana

doi:10.1080/10926755.2017.1291459

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 29 publications

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“…They may well have experienced the trauma of abandonment, suffered significant harm to the attachment process (Marci, et al., 2020; Santona, et al., 2019) and faced identity problems as they adjust to living with their new family. It is these psychological and social pressures that make adoption such a complex field of study (Boivin and Hassan, 2015; Greco and Comelli, 2017; Grotevant and Von Korff, 2011; Maaskant, et al., 2016; Suter, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological implications of the ‘Back to the Origins' journey for intercountry adoptees

Santona

Tognasso

Carella³

et al. 2022

Adoption & Fostering

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One way in which intercountry adoptees can elaborate on their past history is through travelling to their country of birth. This article explores the memories and experiences recalled by a group of adoptees who visited their homeland after being adopted as children by Italian families. The sample comprised 34 participants aged between 12 and 40 years who visited their birth country between 2000 and 2013. In 2017–2018, they were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to obtain retrospective recall of their experiences and feelings on return to Italy, and how their ethnic identity and psychological well-being had been affected by the trip. The results revealed that the adoptees’ emotional experiences during the return visit significantly affected their feelings towards adoption itself and that it changed their sense of belonging both to Italy and the country where they were born. Most also perceived their return travel as a momentous occasion which increased their overall knowledge about their birth country and its culture. The results are significant for providing new information about how international adoptees incorporate their homeland culture into their lives.

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