Understanding how adults adopted in England pre-1989 experience parenthood

Abstract

Adoption has a lifelong impact, with events such as parenthood reactivating adoption-related thoughts and feelings. English adoption generally falls into two eras: pre-1980s adoptions, typically secretive infant relinquishment due to societal views on illegitimacy and interracial relationships, and post-1980s adoptions, involving older children often removed due to abuse or neglect. This study explores how adults adopted before 1989, potentially raised with limited biographical and communicative openness as well as less post-adoption support, experience parenthood, a life stage affecting identity, mental health and relationships, areas notably complex for adoptees. Four English adult adoptees (two men and two women, aged 40–50), adopted domestically before 18 months old (three at birth), with two or more children predominantly in their teens and 20s participated in semi-structured interviews covering their parenthood journey. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed three themes: ‘Parenthood is an awakening’; ‘Adoption echoes on’; and ‘Moving forwards’. Communicative openness within the adoptive family had lasting effects on adoptees’ own parenting communication. Recommendations include training adoptive parents on adoption’s lifelong impact and promoting open and supportive communication with adoptees. Targeted psychosocial support for adoptees who become parents is also advised.