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[Adoption and/or reproductive medicine].
1Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrische Universitätsklinik und -poliklinik, Basel.
Therapeutische Umschau. Revue Therapeutique
|July 20, 1999
Summary
Adoption and medically assisted reproduction require grieving the loss of an imagined biological child. This process impacts adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth parents throughout life.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Family Studies
- Reproductive Health
Context:
- Childlessness presents challenges for prospective parents seeking to build a family through adoption or medically assisted reproduction.
- Both adoption and medically assisted reproduction involve a grieving process for the loss of a genetically related or imagined biological child.
- Adoption creates a unique family dynamic, the adoption triangle, involving birth parents, adoptive parents, and the child.
Purpose:
- To explore the psychological impact and mourning processes associated with adoption and medically assisted reproduction.
- To examine the complexities of attachment formation for adoptees with their adoptive families.
- To discuss the challenges faced by adoptive parents and the phenomenon of family romance fantasy.
Summary:
- Both adoption and medically assisted reproduction necessitate mourning the loss of an imagined biological child.
- Adoption involves the lifelong process of navigating emotional ties between birth parents, adoptive parents, and the child.
- Adoptees may experience psychological trauma from the loss of primary caretakers and difficulties forming new attachments, including loyalty conflicts and issues surrounding the revelation of adoption.
Impact:
- Provides insight into the lifelong psychological journey of individuals involved in adoption.
- Highlights the importance of addressing grief and attachment in adoption and assisted reproduction.
- Informs therapeutic interventions and support systems for adoptive families and adoptees.