O processo de adaptação na família adotiva sob a perspectiva da criança.

Abstract

In adoption of children and adolescents, adaptation is a gradual process in which bonds are established between the child and adoptive family. The aim of this study was to investigate the experience of adaptation to the family environment of a child inserted in a family, after three years of living. A case study with a qualitative-descriptive approach was carried out, with theoretical basis on the Bronfenbrenner Bioecological Theory of Human Development. In this study, adaptation is observed from the child's perspective. To complement the information obtained, interviews were conducted with the child’s mother and extended family members. For data collection, seven instruments were selected: affective map generator instrument; interview script complementary to the affective map; ecomap; feelings flashcards; and interview scripts with the child, the mother and extended family members. The use of a variety of instruments allowed a more comprehensive view of the relationships the teenager had with her home and social support network, facilitating the child’s expression of her experiences and feelings. It was observed that the participant was still in adaptation process and had strong and ambivalent feelings about her home and the people of her nuclear and extended family. She already considered herself part of her family, feeling accepted by her family and considering them as members of her family, yet she has not completely detached herself from the idea of family reintegration and has the host institution as a significative reference. In addition, the teenager considered the family home to be her own, yet she has not yet fully developed the sense of ownership of all places in the house. Several factors favoring the participant's adaptation were observed, such as the demarcation of a space for the adolescent in the new home; the opening of her parents so she could tell her story and keep in touch with her sisters; parents' job change; regular family trips; the teenager's ease in making friends and letting her feelings flow; and the extended family is big and lives nearby. It was also perceived the existence of adaptation difficulties such as the fear of replacing their biological family; the feeling of guilt for feeling responsible for the separation of the biological family; the difficulty in feeling completely happy without evoking sadness as she recalls her past; the discomfort in expressing her feelings in front of family members and the fact that the adolescent has less company since adoption, feeling lonely in the home environment. This study is expected to contribute to allow the expansion of knowledge about the child's adaptation process to the new family and on possible effects evaluation of the adaptive process on child's relationship with her new family environment. As limitations to this study, it is noteworthy the access difficulties to the participants