Sherr, L;
Roberts, KJ;
Croome, N;
(2017)
Emotional distress, resilience and adaptability: a qualitative study of adults who experienced infant abandonment.
Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine
, 5
(1)
pp. 197-213.
10.1080/21642850.2017.1297238.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is very little insight into the emotional effects of adult survivors of infant abandonment. The rate and reasons for abandonment differ by country, region and economic background. Depending on country, age and era, abandoned children may be cared for by a series of alternative arrangements, ranging from care homes, institutions, foster care, alternative care environments or even reside as street children. As abandonment is relatively rare in the UK, formal procedures, documentation, provision and handling are often overlooked in policy guidance. METHOD: A qualitative study was conducted with 16 adult survivors of infant abandonment drawn from a UK sample. Participant interviews were recorded verbatim and transcribed. The full transcripts were coded for emerging (n = 14) and then higher order (n = 3) themes. RESULTS: Higher order themes suggest that interpersonal issues relating to relationship formation and personal emotional coping were key factors. Both positive and negative emotions and actions were documented at the personal and interpersonal levels. Of specific note were effects resulting from formal health and welfare systems as they navigated through documentation, medical encounters and contact with agencies. Their recollections encompassed extensive internal grief over the course of many years. Yet, for many, there were simultaneous threads of resilience and adaptation. CONCLUSIONS: Support pathways are wanting and these findings suggest a number of potential interventions and/or provision required from an early age to ameliorate or obviate such emotional strain. Given the rarity of abandonment, this insight may assist in policy change, especially with regard to support provision. Documentation needs to be maintained for the longer term - with the current practice of five-year limits unhelpful to this group. It may be many years after the abandonment that they embark on searches for information. Lessons for adoptive parents regarding the unique situation of abandoned babies may also be of benefit.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Emotional distress, resilience and adaptability: a qualitative study of adults who experienced infant abandonment |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/21642850.2017.1297238 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2017.1297238 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | Abandonment, infants, mental health, coping, psychological impact |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health > Infection and Population Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10042082 |
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