The importance young adopted adults give to their roots

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyse the importance young adults who were adopted under the age of 5 give to their roots. The main focus of this study is the experiences of the adoptees about the adoption in general and how this is affecting them in reasoning out how they feel towards their biological family. This research may be of use to adoptees, their families and professionals such as social workers and policy makers to gain more insight into the area of adoption. This may incite efforts in bettering the understanding of the adoptee‟s meaning to their roots, and why it is important or even not important for them to know where they come from. For this study, a qualitative approach using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis has been used. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, two participants were separately asked open ended questions about their lives. Participants were between 18 and 30 years and they were adopted up to the age of 5. These participants were selected on an opt in basis and recruited using the snowball sampling. After the interviews were carried out, data collected was then analysed through the use of thematic analysis where themes were derived from the data provided during interviews held. This study showed that the importance adoptees give to their roots all depends on the story they are told. This story telling is a process by which preferably involves the adoptive parents telling the adoptee about his or her origin. Story telling involves appropriate time and words used when this delicate situation is to be discussed. The study showed that the adoptee who was told in his early years about his origin, was more open about being adopted and was interested in knowing more about his origin. On the other hand, the adoptee who got to know the story about his origin at a later stage in his life. And has his story is rather hidden from him until he found out about it, had a different perception about his biological family. The adoptees are likely to refrain from getting to know or even meet their biological family and tend to keep the adoption in general hidden from other people. From interviews held, it emerged that adoptive parents may find it hard to tell the adoption story to the adoptee and may be afraid of what could be the consequences of telling the story. Therefore additional support is to be provided to adoptive parents and adoptee in this regard. This support is for the entire triad members so that professionals could ease the process of telling and other emotions triggered in the adoptee by such disclosure.