Experience of adoption and the formation of maternal identity in adoptive infertile women

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Tehran University.  Corresponding Author: hajhosseini@ut.ac.ir

2 M. A. in Family Counselling, Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Tehran University

Abstract

This research was conducted to examine the impact of child adoption on the motherhood identity of infertile women by observing the living experiences of infertile adoptive mothers. The present study was conducted using qualitative approach and phenomenological method. Participants in this study included 10 infertile women with unborn children in Tehran in year 1396 that were selected based on snowball method of sampling. Data collection was carried out by semi-structured interviews, and the interviews continued until saturation. The data were processed, classified and analyzed on the basis of the Strauss and Glaser approach and the interpretive method of analysis method. The data were processed based on Strauss and Glaser approach, analysis, classification by interpretive analysis. The findings included parenting experience, maternal identity acquisition process and self-assessment as a mother.women's inability to have a baby is experienced as a painful event and the arrival of the child to the family is considered as a complement process of themselves and their family. Infertile women with adopted children, gained positive emotions and feelings for themselves and re-established their values, both individually and socially, redefining themselves in the position of motherhood and attaining identity of motherhood. Infertile mothers have four processes in their adopting and motherhood identity building experience: 1) self-recovery, 2) readiness, 3) attaining motherhood identity and 4) development and strengthening of motherhood identity, like biological mothers. After an early period of motherhood identity preparation, motherhood identity completion and consolidation occurred in an adoptive women, including and creating maternal feelings, patience, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, sense of responsibility, and developing a sense of foresight for the child as a continuum of self.

Keywords

References

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