How is adoption experienced in adolescence? Construction of a questionnaire of feelings related to adoption

Raquel Barroso, Maria Acciaiuoli Barbosa-Ducharne, Vanessa Coelho

Abstract


Adoption experiences are emotionally embedded and take on an individual meaning which influences the unique emotionality of the adoptee’s adoption history. Even when the adoption experiences are positive and adoptees show a good psychological adjustment, the adoption history triggers a mixture of feelings and negative emotions are less acknowledged and assumed. The present study aimed at developing a new questionnaire to evaluate the feelings related to the adoption status. Eighty adopted adolescents aged 12 to 22. The exploratory factorial analysis pointed to the existence of a 10 item unifactorial structure, in accordance with adoption literature. The present study only focuses on the development of the instrument, and it is therefore considered that the present instrument must be further studied. However, the Questionnaire on Adoption Related Feelings can be an important added value both in adoption research and in psychological intervention with adolescent adoptees.

Keywords


Adoption, Adopted adolescents, Adoption related feelings, Assessment, Questionnaire.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.14417/ap.1376

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