As part of my AQA Extended Project Qualification (7993), I intentionally chose to explore the challenges and issues surrounding adoption. My essay delves into the complexities of adoption, considering legal frameworks, ethical dilemmas, psychological impacts, and societal perspectives. By meticulou...
The challenges and issues from families adopting children.
Adoption is a lifelong experience that has its own unique rewards,
challenges, and difficulties that both parents and adopted children may
encounter climatically in their journey. Adopted individuals may face
hardships with their identity as well as their confidence. These can be
Emotional and learning difficulties, grief, and loss in conjunction with other
contrasting problems despite the adoption being a positive experience for
the individual.
The subject of adoption is perceived to provide stability to children who are
unable to be cared for by their parents with a stable, permanent home and a
‘normal’ family life. However, the characteristics regarding adoption have
immensely changed over the years. Adopted children no longer have the
stigma of being young babies or infants who have had their mothers
relinquish them to escape a life of economic hardship and the taint of
legitimacy. In present today, most children who are adopted come from the
care system and are significantly older. In the year 2017 the average age for
adoption was 3 years and 4 months, now in 2024 the ages of children in the
care system range from 9-16.
Adoption has been rapidly revivified from being consensual, although within
the constraints of the realistic options that were made available to an
unmarried woman or single parents who felt they were incompetent to be
able to raise a child to then leading to the outcome of care proceedings in
family courts.
The issues of grief, separation, and loss
It is vital for parents to understand that most adopted children experience
certain feelings of grief and loss related to their adoption. They may lose
their birth parents, siblings, grandparents, and extended family. Older
children who were adopted later in life may grieve the loss of foster families,
friends and familiar schools or neighbourhoods. Feelings of grief and loss,
and other emotions associated with the grieving process such as anger,
denial, anxiety, and fear may be increased when children feel like others
cannot understand or recognise that they are grieving. These issues may
surface sporadically or at emotional milestones later in the adoptee’s life,
such as the birth of a child or death of a parent. Feelings of grief and loss
, may lead to fears of abandonment and rejection, issues with holding on and
letting go, behavioural issues and fear of future losses, which could impact
the development of friendships and relationships. Grief may also be
complicated by guilt when an adopted person feels that he or she is being
disloyal to their parents by grieving their birth family. Each individual copes
with grief and loss uniquely, progressing at their own speed. It is important
to recognise that certain children might need additional assistance as they
navigate through these challenging emotions.
Adoption includes emotional dynamics such as grief, separation, and loss,
which may have effects on involved birth parents, adopted children, and
adoptive parents. These concerns are critical to understanding the complex
process of adoption, and they demand careful attention and help cope with
properly.
Birth parents frequently experience profound grief, loss, and separation
while deciding to place a child for adoption. This choice may be motivated by
a variety of motives, such as financial insecurity, personal situations, or a
desire to provide their kid the greatest possible life. Even with the greatest
intentions, birth parents may suffer pain equal to mourning the death of a
child, as they cope with the surrender of parental rights and the uncertainty
of their child's future. Similarly, adopted children may suffer also while they
go through the adoption process. Even when adopted at an early age,
children may experience emotions of alienation from their biological family
as well as identity ambiguity. For older children or those who have suffered
trauma or instability prior to adoption, the grief and loss may be heightened
by memories of previous relationships or feelings of abandonment.
During the adoption process, adoptive parents must also deal with grief and
loss. While adoptive parents may be overjoyed with the addition of a new
family member, they must equally understand and validate the sadness and
loss suffered by their child and the child's biological family. Furthermore,
adoptive parents may explore their own feelings of grief and loss,
particularly if they have experienced infertility or if the adoption process
involves challenges or delays.
The emotional and psychological issues that arise from grief, separation, and
loss in adoption are significant and diverse, affecting the well-being of
adopted children and families. Selwyn, Wijedasa, and Meakings' research
focuses on the intricate interplay between these problems and the mental
health concerns that some adopted children face. The children may struggle
to remember two households while dealing with a variety of emotional and
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