Motivations to Adopt: Perspectives From Young Adult Adoptees and Adoptive Parents

This study explored parental motivations to adopt and associations between motivations and family well-being. Multivariate OLS regression was used to examine responses from Young Adult Adoptee ( n = 206; average 24 years old) and Adoptive Parent ( n = 295) samples. When adoptees perceived that their parents were motivated by love for them, or helping a child in need, they reported higher levels of family functioning. Adoptive parents who endorsed the motivation that the child was already part of the family reported lower family functioning. While the motivation of loving the child was endorsed universally by both groups, the other motivations were less consistent. Open discussions about adoption, from the motivation to adopt through current family functioning, are important conversations for adoptive families.