Understanding decision‐making processes of prospective adoptive parents: A mixed‐methods study

• Published date: 01 December 2024
• Author: Bethany Willis,Katie Hrapczynski,Cheryl Fortner
• Date: 01 December 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.13076

RESEARCH

Understanding decision-making processes of

prospective adoptive parents: A mixed-methods study

Bethany Willis

1

| Katie Hrapczynski

1

| Cheryl Fortner

2

1

Department of Family Science, Towson

University, Towson, MD

2

Department of Psychology, Winthrop

University, Rock Hill, SC

Correspondence

Bethany Willis, Department of Family Science,

Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson,

MD 21093, USA.

Email: bnwillis@towson.edu

Funding information

The National Council on Family Relations

Abstract

Objective: This study explores prospective adoptive par-

ents’conceptions by testing hypotheses based on a

decision-making model proposed by Willis Hepp and col-

leagues grounded in symbolic interaction.

Background: Multiple factors inform decisions to adopt.

However, little is known about the decision-making pro-

cess as prospective adoptive parents consider this option.

Method: Seventeen prospective adoptive parents were rec-

ruited using purposive sampling. An advanced concurrent

mixed-methods design was used to integrate findings from

semistructured interviews and a survey using the

FACES IV to generate more complete conclusions regard-

ing the model.

Results: Ten themes emerged related to prospective par-

ents’conceptions of self and generalized others, including

internalization of adoption as part of one’s self,

referencing families of origin in family formation thinking,

and personal histories informing future visions. Pronatal,

biological social pressures echo in families of origin that,

combined with religious and other social experiences,

impact decision-making. Family cohesion, flexibility, and

communication vary based on where they fall along a

spectrum of decision-making.

Conclusion: Conceptions of self and others inform

decision-making, where some choose, and others wait or

opt out of, adoptive parenthood.

Implications: It behooves practitioners to differentiate sup-

ports for individuals thinking about transition to adoptive

parenthood based on their conceptions of self and general-

ized others.

KEYWORDS

adoptive parenthood, decision-making, prospective adoptive parents,

symbolic interaction, transition to parenthood

Received: 17 January 2024 Revised: 26 April 2024 Accepted: 29 June 2024

DOI: 10.1111/fare.13076

© 2024 National Council on Family Relations.

Family Relations. 2024;73:2961–2980. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare 2961

The decision to adopt as a pathway to parenthood is complex. Prospective parents considering

adoption navigate their motivations for adopting a child (Soares et al., 2023) and attend to their

expectations regarding adoptive family life (Lasio et al., 2021; Tasker & Wood, 2016). In addi-

tion, they face arduous processes that are often associated with adoption (Chanmugam

et al., 2017), including the need to articulate their preferences related to openness and child

characteristics (Goldberg, 2010). Based on retrospective accounts from adoptive parents, they

often engage in these processes with inadequate preadoption guidance and preparation (Lee

et al., 2018), which likely has implications for postadoption adjustment. Although Soares et al.

(2023) contributed to our understanding of the complex interaction between motives for adop-

tion and the decision-making process, they relied on accounts from parents after they had made

the transition to adoptive parenthood. For a clearer understanding of the experiences of those

considering adoption, it is important to hear from them while they are considering this option

and trying to decide whether to adopt a child. The current study aims to extend our understand-

ing of the decision-making processes by giving voice to prospective adoptive parents.

Professionals working with prospective adoptive parents best serve them when they under-

stand this complexity and when their practice is informed by theory and research. A conceptual

model posited by Willis Hepp et al. (2019) directly acknowledges the nuances of the transition

to adoptive parenthood by applying concepts from symbolic interactionism. The preadoption

phase of the model is most relevant to the current study because it focuses on the decision-

making and action-taking of prospective adoptive parents by considering the myriad factors

that contribute to the decision to adopt. For this conceptual model to be translated into prac-

tice, it must be empirically validated. Therefore, the current study tests the first proposition

from this conceptual model that focuses on how a prospective adoptive parent’s sense of self

and their interactions with other people and entities shape their experiences as they consider

adoption. In addition, enhanced understanding of how relational factors play out in the

decision-making process is achieved by adding the circumplex model of marital and family sys-

tems (Olson et al., 1979), a widely applied theory in clinical practice with couples and families

(Olson, 2000).

LITERATURE REVIEW

Many personal, relational, and contextual factors contribute to one’s consideration of adoption

as a pathway to parenthood and the decision to adopt a child, as evidenced by a robust body of

literature. An interplay among multiple motivations often drives aspirations to and decisions

about whether to adopt (Soares et al., 2023). Self- or parent-oriented motivations may be distin-

guished from child-oriented motivations (Costa & Tasker, 2018), although they may be simulta-

neously self- and child-centered (Soares et al., 2021).

In many cases, adoption becomes an option for those seeking parenthood due to infertility

or biological unviability (Goldberg et al., 2009; Jennings et al., 2014; Soares et al., 2021). How-

ever, there are many other reasons. A mixed-methods study with Portuguese adoptive parents

revealed that they viewed adoption as being a part of their “life project”and that adoption pro-

vided a means to increase the number of children in their family or to fill a void and address

experiences of loneliness (Soares et al., 2021, p. 758). When centering more on the child, adop-

tive parents highlighted altruistic motives to provide a loving home for a child in need and to

give back or noted having contact with a specific child in care and deciding to adopt them

(Soares et al., 2021). Religion, at times, underscores these altruistic motivations (Palmer

et al., 2023). Costa and Tasker (2018) found that lesbian and gay adoptive parents sought a per-

manent family and viewed adoption as the answer. They identified three subthemes regarding

their journey toward a “forever family”(p. 4166), including altruistic/moral motivation, individ-

ualistic/intrinsic motivation, and motivated reasoning. The first echoes Soares et al.’s (2021)

2962 FAMILY RELATIONS