From care, to adoption, to parenting: a two generation study of identity, risk and resilience in adoptive families

20年来，英国的政策一直鼓励收养儿童，现在有数万人已经到了可以成为父母的年龄。这种强制性的收养形式在国内外都有争议，充分研究其对寿命的影响至关重要--包括被收养者成为下一代父母时会发生什么。孩子的出生对任何家庭来说都是一件大事，既带来欢乐，也带来挑战。这项研究将提供一个新的理解的生活经验和需要的人从照顾谁是现在的父母，养父母谁是现在的祖父母。它将提供支持，帮助被收养的年轻人为父母做好准备，提高他们的适应力，并支持他们成为父母。大多数被收养的儿童都经历过早期的逆境，如失去，虐待和忽视。收养使他们在新的家庭中永久地生活，但即使如此，大约一半的被收养的年轻人可能有心理问题，这些问题会持续到成年。对弱势父母（如脱离照料者）的研究表明，他们面临过早为人父母、养育子女困难、甚至自己的子女进入照料机构的风险。但对一些人来说，有一个孩子是一个积极的选择和愈合的经验。本研究将探讨积极的和成为父母的角度来看，从照顾收养的人的挑战。“复原力”的概念（暴露于风险后的健康发展）是关键，在养育环境中可能影响复原力的风险和保护因素将是一个中心焦点。这项研究还将揭示被收养者的终身身份问题。对于被收养者来说，建立身份可能会受到他们已知生活史的差距，不同或耻辱的感觉以及缺乏与亲生亲属的联系的阻碍。成为父母可能会引发身份问题，并引发对出生家庭的搜索，但这些问题对于从护理中被收养的人来说是未经探索的，其中许多人将与出生亲属保持某种形式的联系。我们将探讨被收养者如何使他们的整个生命历史的意义，包括被收养和成为父母，增加我们对成年后被收养者叙事身份发展的理解。研究还将包括从照顾中收养孩子的父母的观点，他们现在是祖父母。收养对收养者也有终身的影响，但没有关于“照料”收养中家庭生活的祖父母阶段的研究。由于许多被收养的年轻人一直处于弱势，因此将祖父母包括在内非常重要，因为他们可能会为他们的子女和孙辈提供重要的支持。（男20人，女20人），将收集40名现在是祖父母的养父母，样本将包括有联系的父母/祖父母病例和非-关联案件本研究将采用叙事和主题分析的方法来回答研究问题。利益相关者（专业人员、被收养者和养父母）的参与将为参与者的招募提供信息，数据收集和分析将有助于对实践和政策影响产生良好的理解。有道德责任了解其对整个生命周期的影响;该项目将产生关于长期结果的见解。它将通过建立对一个特别复杂和具有挑战性的家庭形式的理解，使社会受益，这种家庭形式混合了生物、法律的和关系纽带。它将有利于学者感兴趣的叙事身份，收养，脆弱的父母，祖父母，和韧性。通过与利益攸关方合作，以各种形式向不同受众传播调查结果，将对实践产生最大影响。

For 20 years UK policy has encouraged the adoption of children from care, and tens of thousands are now of an age where they could become a parent. This compulsory form of adoption is controversial at home and abroad and it is vital to fully research the lifespan effects - including what happens when adoptees become parents to the next generation. A child's birth is a key event in any family, bringing joys and challenges. This study will provide a new understanding of the lived experiences and needs of people adopted from care who are now parents, and of adoptive parents who are now grandparents. It will inform support to help adopted young people to prepare for parenthood, promote their resilience, and support them as parents. The majority of children adopted from care will have experienced early adversities such as loss, abuse and neglect. Adoption offers permanence in a new family, but even so about half of adopted young people are likely to have psychological problems which carry on into adulthood. Studies of vulnerable parents (e.g. care leavers) show they are at risk of early parenthood, parenting difficulties, even their own children going into care. But for some, having a child is a positive choice and a healing experience. This study will explore the positives and the challenges of becoming a parent from the perspective of people adopted from care. The concept of 'resilience' (healthy development after exposure to risk) is key and the risk and protective factors that can affect resilience in the context of parenting will be a central focus.This study will also shine a light on the lifelong identity issues for adopted people. For adoptees, building identity can be hampered by gaps in their known life history, feelings of being different or stigmatised, and a lack of connection with birth relatives. Becoming a parent can stir up identity concerns and trigger a search for birth family, but these issues are unexplored for people adopted from care, many of whom will have retained some form of contact with birth relatives. We will explore how adopted people make meaning of their whole life history, including being adopted and being a parent, adding to our understanding of narrative identity development for adoptees in adulthood.The research will also include the perspective of parents who adopted a child from care and who are now grandparents. Adoption has lifelong implications for adopters too, but there is no research on the grandparenting stage of family life in 'from care' adoptions. Because of the ongoing vulnerability of many young people adopted from care, it is important to include grandparents because they may be providing vital support to their child and grandchild.In-depth interview data from 40 adopted people who are now parents (20 men, 20 women), and 40 adoptive parents who are now grandparents will be collected and the sample will include a mixture of linked parent/grandparent cases and non-linked cases. Narrative and thematic analysis methods will be used to answer the research questions. The involvement of stakeholders (professionals, adoptees and adoptive parents) will inform the recruitment of participants, the data collection and analysis will help generate a sound understanding of practice and policy implications.Adoption from care is an extreme intervention in family life and a major focus of policy and investment in the UK. There is a moral responsibility to understand its impact across the lifespan; this project will generate insights about longer term outcomes. It will benefit society though building understanding of a particularly complex and challenging family form with a mixture of biological, legal and relational ties. It will benefit academics interested in narrative identity, adoption, vulnerable parents, grand-parenting, and resilience. Maximum impact on practice will be achieved through working with stakeholders to disseminate findings in a range of formats to different audiences.