The Search for Origins by the Adopted Children: The Perspective of Adoptive Mothers in the Italian Context

Abstract

The present study examined Italian adoptive mothers’ perspective about Adoptee Searching for their Origins. 37 adoptive mothers were interviewed. Interviews were analyzed through an automated method for content analysis combining a combining Cluster Analysis and Correspondence Analysis. In their whole the results highlight the difficulty encountered by mothers who seem to chase a model of family normality rather than confront the specificity of their own family history. Beyond the results, the research work suggests professionals to support adoptive families in their life path, recognizing their specificity as a way to favor the integration of their children in a long-life perspective.

Keywords:

• Adoption
• Search for origins
• Mothers’ perspective
• Text mining
• Cluster analysis
• Correspondance Analysis
• Parental identity
• Recognition of diversity