Developing understanding and managing uncertainty: a qualitative longitudinal study of prospective adopters’ experiences of training during the adopter preparation period.

Murphy, Anne Marie (2024) Developing understanding and managing uncertainty: a qualitative longitudinal study of prospective adopters’ experiences of training during the adopter preparation period. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Adopted children are likely to have experienced, or been at risk of, some form of abuse and neglect, in addition to the loss and separation inherent in adoption. These experiences can create additional parenting tasks for adoptive parents. Pre-adoption training is a standard part of agencies’ preparation of adopters in England but there is a knowledge gap on how pre-adoption training, alongside other elements of adopter preparation such as the home study, bridges the gap between the prospective adopters hopes, and the needs of children awaiting adoption.

This study used a qualitative longitudinal research design to follow prospective adopters during their pre-adoption training. Fifteen prospective adopters (six male & nine female) were recruited from four adoption agencies. All were adopting as part of a couple. Three were in same-sex relationships. They were interviewed on three occasions: just before attending pre-adoption training, just after the training, and then at the end of their home study. Data were analysed using case analysis to identify trajectories of change over time and thematic analysis to examine how they described their experiences.

Prospective adopters found the preparation course to be an intense and emotional experience. The information they heard on the course was used to make sense of what their future might be as parents. This was within a context of uncertainty about whether they would be approved as adopters, or what their future child’s needs might be. They developed an understanding that ‘trauma is inevitable’ for adopted children, which shaped their views of the parenting needed, and which children they might feel capable to adopt. They also developed empathy for the child and the birth parents, as they learned about adoption as an on-going connection to another family. Implications for practice are discussed, especially in terms of how the prospective adopters’ preferences were shaped.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Social Work
Depositing User:	Nicola Veasy
Date Deposited:	24 Jun 2025 08:03
Last Modified:	24 Jun 2025 08:03
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/99687
DOI:

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