Motivation matters: Parents' path to adoption as related to their perceptions of open adoption

Yoa Sorek, Brachi Ben Simon and Fida Nijim-Ektelat

Children and Youth Services Review, 2020, vol. 118, issue C

Abstract: Structural openness in adoption has become very popular. However, it does not guarantee communicative openness. This study explores the relationship between adoptive parents' motivations for adopting children from the welfare system and their evolving reactions to their open adoption experiences. A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews with 16 Israeli adoptive parents revealed that those who adopted for child-centered reasons, most of whom have their own birth children, feel positive about open adoption and see its benefits for the child. Adoptive parents who adopted for self-oriented reasons, most of whom had been childless for many years, see it as a barrier to the development of the child's identity and sense of belonging, and tend to limit communicative openness. Recommendations for practice and research are discussed.

Keywords: Open adoption; Adoptive parents; Motivation for adoption; Structural and communicative openness; Israel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740920308902
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:118:y:2020:i:c:s0190740920308902

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105430

Access Statistics for this article

Children and Youth Services Review is currently edited by Duncan Lindsey

More articles in Children and Youth Services Review from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().