Improvement in Emotional Bond and Parental Satisfaction among Participants of an Online Training Program for Adoptive Parents

Abstract

Adoption: Beginning of New Bonds is a six-week online parenting program specifically designed to enhance Parental Reflective Functioning (PRF) with the goal of improving Emotional bond, parental satisfaction, and reducing general and parental stress levels. In 2021, a pilot study of this program was conducted with 30 Brazilian couples who had adopted one or two children aged up to five years and 11 months at the time the training began. Further analysis of the training program-related variables could refine research hypotheses and improve the assessment process before proceeding with larger-scale replications. Thus, this study aimed to measure various parental variables associated with the Emotional bond, including PRF, Emotional bond, general stress, parental stress, and stress related to parental satisfaction, before and after participation in the pilot. The findings revealed that participants exhibited low levels of PRF. Furthermore, a significant improvement in the Emotional bond and parental satisfaction was observed between the pre- and post-tests. This study highlights the importance of testing the assessment of the variables of interest in a pilot to enhance evaluation. The study also discussed future directions for parenting programs aimed at enhancing the parent-child Emotional bond.