Post-adoption help-seeking in Portugal: a Comprehensive study on parental difficulties and help-seeking behaviors and perceptions

Effective psychological parenting interventions delivered to adoptive parents may prevent serious adjustment difficulties and promote a healthy functioning; however, less is known about adoptive parents’ specific parental difficulties and help-seeking behaviors and perceptions, the understanding of which is deemed necessary to design well-informed interventions. This study aimed to describe parental difficulties, help-seeking behaviors, satisfaction with, and perceived barriers to seek, professional help, and acceptability of psychological parenting interventions among Portuguese adoptive parents. Comparisons with biological parents (Study 1) and between adoptive parents that requested adoption-specialized and non-specialized support (i.e., adoption-specialized vs. non-specialized help-seekers) (Study 2) were explored. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. Participants were 471 adoptive and 552 biological parents of children aged under 18 years who were recruited through schools, adoption agencies, and social networks. They completed measures assessing parental difficulties, help-seeking behaviors, satisfaction with, and perceived barriers to seek, professional help, and acceptability of psychological parenting interventions. Comparison tests between the study groups, Pearson’s correlations, analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) and multivariate logistic regressions (MLR) were performed. Parents’ well-being and normative parenting challenges were the most frequent difficulties in both groups, but only associated with adoptive parents’ help-seeking. Although difficulties related to a child’s problems/parent–child relationship were more frequent among adoptive parents, adoption-related difficulties were rarely reported. Adoptive parents sought professional help more frequently, regardless of parental difficulties. Knowledge-related barriers to seeking help were the most frequent among adoptive parents. Adoption non-specialized help was less satisfactory. Acceptability of psychological parenting interventions was high, but dependent on parental difficulties. Implications for post-adoption services’ development are discussed

Stress Parental nos Pais Adotivos: O Papel do Mindfulness, da Flexibilidade Psicológica e da Autocompaixão

Dissertação de Mestrado em Intervenções Cognitivo-Comportamentais em Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde apresentada à Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da EducaçãoEnquadramento: Embora o stress parental seja apontado como um dos alvos terapêuticos mais importantes e recomendados na intervenção psicológica no período de pós-adoção, o conhecimento acerca dos fatores modificáveis que contribuem para explicar este tipo de outcome entre os pais adotivos continua a ser escasso. Objetivos: O presente estudo teve como principais objetivos (a) explorar se, e em que medida, a autocompaixão, a flexibilidade psicológica e o mindfulness dos pais adotivos contribuem para explicar o stress parental e (b) explorar se o papel destes recursos psicológicos na explicação do stress parental pode variar de acordo com a idade da criança, o género dos pais e o tempo decorrido desde a adoção. Método: Este estudo, de desenho transversal, incluiu uma amostra de 302 pais portugueses, com pelo menos um filho adotivo entre o 1 e os 17 anos de idade. Os dados foram recolhidos online através do preenchimento de questionários de autorresposta. Resultados: Os pais com níveis mais elevados de autocompaixão (b = -3.73) e mindfulness (b = -0.32) e níveis mais reduzidos de inflexibilidade psicológica (b = 0.76) reportaram menores níveis de stress parental; verificou-se que as relações entre estes recursos psicológicos e o stress parental foram significativas (p < .01), mesmo após controlar diversas variáveis relacionadas com a criança, com a adoção e outras variáveis relacionadas com os pais, explicando 50% da variância do stress parental (F(13, 282) = 22.04, p < .001). Estas associações ocorreram independentemente da idade da criança, do género dos pais, e do tempo decorrido desde a adoção. Conclusões: Estes resultados destacam o papel desempenhado pela autocompaixão, flexibilidade psicológica e mindfulness nos níveis de stress parental, e a consequente importância de explorar os mecanismos por detrás destas associações. Os resultados permitem-nos também refletir acerca de novas diretrizes que orientem as intervenções psicológicas com pais adotivos – sejam elas preventivas ou remediativas - tendo em conta a aparente mais-valia de incluir a promoção destes recursos psicológicos em tais intervenções.Background: Although parenting stress has been pointed out as one of the most important and highly acceptable targets for post-adoption psychological intervention, the knowledge regarding the modifiable factors contributing to explaining this type of outcome among adoptive parents remains scarce.Aims: The present study aimed to (a) explore whether and in which extent adoptive parents' mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and self-compassion contribute to explaining parenting stress and (b) analyze whether the role of these psychological resources' in explaining parenting stress may vary according to children's age, the parents' gender, and the time passed since the adoptive placement. Method: This cross-sectional study included a sample of 302 Portuguese adoptive parents with at least an adoptive child aged between 1 and 17 years old. Data were collected online, through self-response questionnaires. Results: Parents with higher levels of self-compassion (b = -3.73), psychological flexibility (b = 0.76), and mindfulness (b = -0.32) reported lower levels of parenting stress; associations between these psychological resources and parenting stress were found to be significant (p < .01), even after controlling for a wide range of child-, adoption-, and other parent-related variables, explaining 50% of the variance in parenting stress (F(13, 282) = 22.04, p < .001). These associations occurred regardless of children's age, the parent's gender, and the time passed since the adoptive placement. Conclusions: Our results highlight the role that self-compassion, psychological flexibility, and mindfulness may play in the prevention and reduction of parenting stress and the consequent importance of studying the mechanisms behind these associations. These results also allow us to reflect on new guidelines for both preventive and remedial interventions with adoptive parents given the seeming added value of including the promotion of these psychological resources in such interventions