Fear of loss of a wanted child: emotional accounts of Finnish prospective adoptive parents in pre-adoption services

Abstract

This qualitative study analyses the emotions of fear and anxiety as experienced by prospective adoptive parents receiving pre-adoption services. The article draws on 19 narrative interviews with men and women who have pursued an adoption process in seeking to adopt a child from overseas. The findings suggest that the experience of fear was connected with the risk of losing a wanted child through rejection in the assessment procedure or a termination of the process, and also with a loss of control in their position as clients. The prospective parents strive to balance anxiety and hope through their own emotional engagement, while the professionals involved play an important role in regulating those emotions. Further, the fear and anxiety in this situation lead to an inhibition of both negative emotions in interactions with professionals and of engaging with them in a truly open, trusting and reflective relationship.

Family Function, Loneliness, Emotion Regulation, and Hope in Secondary Vocational School Students: A Moderated Mediation Model

“…Conversely, the predictive effect of hope on loneliness strengthened with lower levels of expressive suppression. Thus, expressive suppression regulated an individual's responsiveness to both loneliness and hope ( 42 ). In other words, secondary vocational school students with lower levels of expressive suppression can use hope to overcome loneliness.…”

“…However, although adults have a rational cognitive “storybook” (i.e., hope), the output is not always a positive emotion because of the function of emotion regulation ( 28 , 36 ). As previously shown, the two dimensions of emotion regulation (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) have inconsistent relationships with psychological processes ( 41 ); accordingly, hope may separately link with cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression ( 42 ). Previous studies showed that a negative event induces adolescents' lower hope level ( 43 ) and the higher hope individuals could achieve emotion regulation ( 40 ).…”

A Retrospective Study on Adoptive Parenthood in the First Year after the Adoption: The Role of Parents’ Attachment and Empathy on Communicative Openness

“…The first year after adoption represents a critical period for the adjustment of the adoptive family. Indeed, the transition to adoptive parenthood is characterized by a significant impact on adoptive parents, both from physical and emotional perspectives [18,19]. First, prospective parents have to deal with a waiting period between their certification of eligibility for adoption and matching with a child.…”

Putting one’s best foot forward: Finnish prospective adoptive parent’s strategic interaction in statutory pre-adoption services

“…Ruch, 2005) which expects honest, open and reflective interaction. Further, they offer preparation for adoptive parenthood, by fostering client self-reflection in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (2013) (Eriksson, 2016a) through the provision of information, and by offering tools for self-evaluation. The aim is to have families who based on an informed decision about adoption are emotionally ready and suitable to offer a home for a child in need of one.…”

“…Emotion management as one form of expression management can be 'inhibiting or fabricating expressions' (Goffman, 1969: 10). In the adoption process, some emotions are accepted and even expected, like the sorrow related to infertility which is expected, and can hence lead to its fabrication (see also Eriksson, 2016a). However, emotions like anger and disappointment are often hidden.…”