Pilot Study of the Longitudinal Research on Adoptive Families\' Adaptation Process: Current Status and Self-help Group Experience of Open Adoptive Families
AUTHOR : 김향은
INFORMATION : page. 61~80 / 2006 Vol.13 No.1
ABSTRACT
Adoption itself has been rare in our society, and when it occurs, it has been a norm for a sterile couple to adopt a boy confidentially. Recently open adoption is seen as an alternative and a few families adopted children openly. Despite of this revolutionary change, there has been few research on problems faced by these families and their need for post adoption services. This pilot study attempts to assess current status of open adoption, analyze problems faced by open adoptive families and their need for post adoption services and self-support group through interviews with 32 open adoptive parents. More than half of the subjects have their own biological children and they adopted a girl rather than a boy. Most adopted one or two infants, but a few families adopted the older from over 6. There were a few families who adopted more than three children. Parents were satisfied with the experience of being an adoptive parent and open adoptive parent. The problems faced by these open adoptive parents include lack of information about institutional inertia, management of traumatic experiences by their adoptive children, public’s negative view of open adoption as “showing off,” and treatment of these adopted children either with special favors or prejudices. Preliminary data show that adoptive parents are in serious need for post adoption services. Self-support group for adoptive families appears to be one of the most promising alternative and systematic promotion and support for such groups might be considered as an answer.