Understanding how adults adopted in England pre-1989 experience parenthood
Researchers interviewed four adults, aged 40–50, adopted in England before 1989 and now parents themselves. Interpretative phenomenological analysis described parenthood as prompting renewed reflection on adoption, continuing adoption-related experiences and ways of moving forward. Participants’ accounts linked communication in their adoptive families with how they communicated as parents.
Limitations: Four adults adopted domestically before 18 months provided retrospective accounts. All had at least two children, mainly teenagers or young adults. Findings concern a historical infant-adoption pathway and cannot represent all adoptee parents or demonstrate causal effects of family communication. Publication relationship: this research was published by BAAF or in its Adoption & Fostering journal, now associated with CoramBAAF, an adoption-sector organisation. Publication does not establish that the organisation conducted the research; readers may take the institutional relationship into account.
- Research type
- Qualitative study
- Source reviewed
- Selected full-text sections
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Adults
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: adults
Adoption context: Domestic infant adoption before 1989
Programme: Not recorded
Institutional context: Adoption-sector advocacy/service organisation
Publication relationship: this research was published by BAAF or in its Adoption & Fostering journal, now associated with CoramBAAF, an adoption-sector organisation. Publication does not establish that the organisation conducted the research; readers may take the institutional relationship into account.
Relationship identified. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: adoptee voice, adult adoptees, communicative openness, England, family relationships, identity, parenthood
Review scope: Abstract, methods, relevant findings, discussion and funding/conflict declarations checked on the publisher page on 4 October 2026. Not a new independent replication or a review of every cited source.
Country as recorded: England
- Funding
- Authors declare no financial support for the research, authorship or publication.
- Commissioner
- Not identified in the material checked.
- Funder role
- No financial support declared.
- Declared conflicts
- Authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.
- Recruitment
- Facebook and the Post-Adoption Centre UK; four adult adoptee parents.
- Adoptee involvement
- Adoptees supplied interview accounts. Involvement in commissioning or study design was not established in this check.
Source for funding and review information
Entry: study_67a1bafa1a112a03