Abstract
[Autom. eng. transl.] The adoption literature has largely focused attention on the adaptation of the child, considering the adoption, in a properly "pathogenic" perspective, as a risk factor for psychological development. Less attention has been paid to the protective factors that allow families to face challenges, without underestimating the proportion of risk inherent in the adoption transition. The main objective of this contribution is twofold: firstly, we intend to compare the perceptions of adoptive parents, with those of non-adoptive parents, regarding the perception of the child's emotional and behavioral problems and the quality of family relationships (marital relationship) and with the social context (social support), to parental stress, to the self-esteem of parents; secondly, we want to verify if and to what extent these variables affect the psychosocial adaptation of the child. Attention is directed in particular to the school age, considered a particularly delicate phase in the adoption path. The sample is composed of 489 parent couples (mothers and fathers): 254 couples have one or more adopted children and 234 have only biological children, for a total of 975 subjects. The tool used is a questionnaire written in two versions: one for adoptive parents and one for non-adoptive parents. The results show that adopted children are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems than unacceptable children, confirming international research. The adoptive parents show a better overall quality of the marital relationship, greater social support, a lower level of stress linked to the parental role and a higher self-esteem: some of these variables constitute crucial protective factors in the process of adaptation to adoption. The results are also discussed in terms of intervention in the accompanying paths of adoptive families.
Translated title of the contribution | [Autom. eng. transl.] Challenges and resources in adoptive families: a comparison between the perceptions of adoptive and non-adoptive parents with school-age children |
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Original language | Italian |
Title of host publication | Post-Adopción y vínculo familiar. Colección Actas de la Red Europea de Institutos de la Familia (REDIF) |
Editors | C. Pérez Testor |
Pages | 71-90 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Keywords
- Adoption
- Family relationships