Transitions of Adoptive Parents: A Longitudinal Mixed Methods Analysis.
Karen J Foli, Megan Hebdon, Eunjung Lim and 1 others
PMID 28927513WHAT IT FOUND
Adoptive parents described uncertainty before placement, fatigue and sleep loss after placement, and adoption-specific stressors.
Nurses can ask about these alongside depressive symptoms, because parents may report distress even when screening scores are low.
Key findings
01Adoptive parents described moving from uncertainty before placement to relief and a new normal after placement.
02Lack of rest was reported as a theme tied to the adoption process and factors unique to adoption.
03Parents who wrote open-ended comments were more likely to report depressive symptoms on the CES-D than parents who did not write comments.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis used only 64 parents who chose to write open-ended comments, not all 129 recruited parents. Commenters had more depressive symptoms than non-commenters. This may affect generalizability. The sample was mostly Caucasian, high-income, highly educated, and recruited largely through one Christian adoption agency. Only two participants identified as same-gender parents. The sample was mostly heterosexual. The study describes experiences and screening scores. It does not test whether nurse assessment or support improves outcomes.
Declared interests
The supplied publication types list NIH extramural research support and non-U.S. government research support. No author conflict-of-interest statement appears in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes or CES-D differences as proof that adoption causes depression or that nurse screening improves outcomes. The study describes comments from a selected group of adoptive parents and does not test an intervention.