Abstract
We investigated risk and facilitating factors related to families’ change in finances and employment over 5 years following adoption of a child from local authority care in a prospective, longitudinal study of children placed for adoption between 2014 and 2015 (N = 96). Parents completed questionnaires at approximately 5, 21, 36, 48 and 60 months post-placement. We used time series analysis to examine the impact of child (e.g. pre-placement experiences, mental health), family structure (e.g. number of siblings, parent relationship status), and parent (e.g. mental health) factors on change in household income and parent employment status after adoption. We also examined the tendency for parents to comment on employment and finances and the emotional valence of their comments to gauge their concern about their circumstances. Children’s mental health problems were associated with primary caregivers reducing their time spent in employment and parents’ tendency to comment on their financial and work circumstances. Children who experienced more moves in care were more likely to have a primary caregiver not in full-time work, as were children with higher prosocial behaviour scores. Being in full-time work was associated with parents’ symptoms of anxiety. We also detected associations between structural features of the family and changes in income and employment. This study represents one of the first empirical investigations of factors associated with the socioeconomic features of adoptive families’ lives and informs ongoing discussion regarding the support needs of families and the timing, nature, and delivery of post-adoption professional services.
Highlights
The birth of a child represents an important transition for all families [1, 2], but for families who adopt, becoming a parent involves navigating numerous unique obstacles and challenges
To identify the support needs of and inform provision of services to families who adopt in the UK, we investigated child, parent, and family factors associated with change in parent employment and household income over 5 years following placement of a child from state care for adoption
At 5 months post-placement (W1), 56 (60.9%) primary caregivers were in full-time work, 24 (30.8%) were in full-time work at 21 months postplacement (W2), 27 (38.6%) at 36 months (W3), 21 (30.9%) at 48 months (W4), and 24 (38.1%) at 60 months (W5)
Summary
The birth of a child represents an important transition for all families [1, 2], but for families who adopt, becoming a parent involves navigating numerous unique obstacles and challenges. In the UK, adopting a child can be a lengthy and challenging process involving parental fitness evaluations, waiting to be matched and, potentially, difficulties encountered in the context of court processes and contested applications by birth parents [4, 5]. Following placement of their child, adoptive families face many of the challenges associated with new parenthood, but with an increased likelihood of parenting a child with emotional and behavioural difficulties [6, 7]. To identify the support needs of and inform provision of services to families who adopt in the UK, we investigated child, parent, and family factors associated with change in parent employment and household income over 5 years following placement of a child from state care for adoption
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