Parental couple experiences of transracial adoption : a phenomenological study

Abstract

In South Africa, transracial adoption continues to be an option for many parents wanting to adopt a child. Previous research on transracial adoption has focused mainly on the psychological implications and the racial identity development of transracial adoptees. This qualitative study aimed to explore parental couples’ experiences of transracial adoption and was located within a phenomenological framework. In-depth interviews were conducted with three couples and the data were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Six themes were generated from the data. These include the aspects that were involved in beginning their journey to adoption, the pre and post adoption process, the avenues of support that were available to the participants, important aspects relating to the adopted child, the challenges that were experienced as unique to transracial adoption, and the implications of race in a transracial adoption. The implications of the findings for adoption organisations and future research are discussed.