SONS OF THE HEART: THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

Adoption is the inclusion of a new member in a family environment, legally and definitively. It is estimated that 22,21% of the children available for adoption have some health problem, which is one of pothe principal obstacles during the the adoption process, because it is still predominant the seek for classical adoptions. The aim of the study was to analyze the motivational factors that made parents choose to adopt children with disabilities. It is a qualitative and descriptive study that has used the content analysis technique.A semi structured interview guide was applied to nine parents that adopted children with disabilities from the Adoption Section of the 1st Court of Infancy and Youth, from the researcher’s acquaintance and from adoption supporting groups on the Internet. The motivation in adopting children with disabilities was related to the will of self-fulfillment as a parent and to help the child, it was also influenced by a prior contact of the parents with some kind of disability, by cases of adoption in the family and by the establishment of a love bond with the child before adoption. The reasons that lead parents to adopt children with disabilities are related to the will of becoming a parent and to help a child. Other factors contribute to motivate this kind of adoption: the way the parents understand the disability, the presence of adoption cases of children with disabilities near the family, contact with people with disabilities, willing of adopting these kids since childhood and religiosity.