Abstract

SANTOS, Carina Pessoa; FONSECA, Maria Cecília Souto Maior da; FONSECA, Célia Maria Souto Maior de Souza  and  DIAS, Cristina Maria de Souza Brito. Adoption by single parents: challenges and peculiarities of this experience. Psicol. teor. prat. [online]. 2011, vol.13, n.2, pp. 89-102. ISSN 1516-3687.

The general aim of this research was to understand how adoptive parents experience the adoption process, taking as a basis the Systemic Theory. Family has changed, assuming new configurations. The possibility of adoption by single parents was introduced in Brazil by the Child and Adolescent Statute. The New Adoption Law brought changes, which were established with regard to the parents' experience. The participants were six adoptive parents, four women and two men, who had adopted babies as well as older children. They answered an interview which was approached according to the thematic content analysis. The results show the participants feel happy about the adoption, despite the prejudices they face, the difficult financial situation, and the lack of family support, in some cases. Some needs, such as a faster pace in the process and a previous parents' training, were pointed out, aspects which are observed by the New Adoption Law.

Keywords : adoption; single parents; family relations; legal process; refuge.

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