The Adoption Practices and Psychological Anxiety of Prospective Adoptive Parents
AUTHOR : 김향은
INFORMATION : page. 35~53 / 2014 Vol.21 No.1
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to explore the current status and psychological anxiety experienced by
prospective adoptive parents. The subjects were 62 parents, 30 fathers and 32 mothers aged from their
twenties to forties. The anxieties caused by adoption were compared with their usual level of anxiety by
using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(Spielberger et al., 1970). In addition, the state of anxiety of
prospective adoptive parents was analyzed by related factors such as their general backgrounds and the
adoption practices of prospective parents. One of the research findings was that it gave a clearer picture of
the current status of prospective domestic adoptive parents and adoption practices in the first stage of
adoption. Another major finding was related to state anxiety, which was significantly higher than the
parents' trait anxiety and the different anxiety levels according to several demographic variables such as
religion and marital relationships and adoption practice variables such as experiences of being reluctant to
adoption, planning of open adoption and their self-confidence as parents. The implications for promoting
pre-adoption services for domestic adoptive families and for assisting in a more successful adaptation
process were also suggested.