We Wanted a Forever Family

Altruistic, Individualistic, and Motivated Reasoning Motivations for Adoption Among LGBTQ Individuals

Bibliographic Data

ID2347841
AuthorsPedro Alexandre Costa (0000-0001-9826-9881, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada (ISPA), Lisbon, Portugal, corresponding author), Fiona Tasker (0000-0003-4205-5408, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK)
Year2018
Volume39
Issue18
Pages4156-4178
Publication date2018-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Family Issues (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0192-513X • E-ISSN: 1552-5481
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0192513x18810948
OpenAlexW2884699071
LanguageEN
Citations received20
References cited41

The purpose of this study was to explore motivations for adoption among a diverse sample of LGBTQ adoptive parents and prospective adopters ( n = 366) who were recruited through a U.K. network of LGBTQ adoptive and foster families to complete an online survey. Quantitative analysis showed that the majority did not think that being LGBTQ would negatively influence their experience of adopting, although they were evenly split regarding the expectation of whether they would be matched with a harder-to-place child. To explore LGBTQ parents' motivations for adoption, a thematic analysis of the qualitative data was conducted. One overarching theme was identified as seeking permanency, together with three often closely related subthemes: altruistic/moral motivation, individualistic/intrinsic motivation, and motivated reasoning. The findings reflect important changes in U.K. law since the Adoption and Children Act in 2002 permitted same-gender couples to adopt. We suggest ways to inform the recruitment of potential LGBTQ adoptive parents

Developmental psychology · Individualism · Lesbian · Psychoanalysis · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access