Exploring the Impact of Adoption on Family Members and Relationships Within the Adoptive Family System

Abstract

Background

Current adoption research has focused on the challenges adoptees face and their support needs. However, growing research has begun to explore the impact of these challenges on adoptive parents, finding that they often struggle with their own mental health and wellbeing, as well as with maintaining relationships both within and outside the adoptive family. Limited research has also shown that adoptive siblings can experience difficulties in response to the adoptee's needs, with their own needs sometimes overlooked.

Aim

To explore adoptive parents' experiences of how adoption impacted the mental health and wellbeing of individual family members and relationships within the family.

Method

Fifteen adoptive parents were recruited via an email advertisement circulated through Adopters Advocacy network and invited to contact the researcher if interested in participation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Five themes were generated: (1) the importance of external support networks for adoptive family functioning, (2) strain on couple relationships and parenting roles, (3) parent-child relationships and parental wellbeing, (4) adoptive parents' views on the complex role and wellbeing of adoptive siblings and (5) extended family relationships and understanding adoption.

Conclusions

Findings highlighted the challenges adoptive families face in maintaining the wellbeing of parents and siblings while supporting adoptees with trauma-related difficulties. Relational dynamics were also affected, with parents describing strain on the couple relationship, the parent–child bond and connections with extended family. Clinical implications and directions for future research are considered, including the need for holistic support that recognises the wellbeing of all family members, not only the adoptee.