A profile of childrearing characteristics of adoptive parents Investigating parenting styles of adoptive parents Hei Tin LEUNG Master’s Thesis Master of Philosophy in Special Needs Education Department of Special Needs Education Faculty of Educational Sciences UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Autumn 2014 I II A profile of childrearing characteristics of adoptive parents Investigating parenting styles of adoptive parents III © Hei Tin LEUNG 2014 A profile of childrearing characteristics of adoptive parents - Investigating parenting styles of adoptive parents Hei Tin LEUNG http://www.duo.uio.no/ Print: Reprosentralen, University of Oslo IV Abstract The aim of the current research is to investigate the parenting style of adoptive parents. 63 adoptive parents, who adopted children who are now 5-10 years old, filled in an online Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSQD). All of them were classified as belonging to the authoritative style. Relevant topics about adoption and parenting were discussed. V VI Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Adoptionsforum for their generous help with the informant recruitment. Thank you all the parents who spared time to fill in the online questionnaire. Thank you my supervisor Ms. Kristin Vonheim for her continuous support and comments. Thanks must also go to Mr. Owen Leung, Mr. Rune Valle, Mr. Victor Berrjod and Mr. Wilson Ong for their comments and their help in translation and data analysis. Last but not least, thank you my family and friends for their unfailing support, both for this thesis and my life in Norway. VII VIII Table of contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Definition of terms .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Background and aim ................................................................................................ 2 2 Literature review .................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Adoption in Norway ................................................................................................ 4 2.2 Adoptive children .................................................................................................... 5 2.2.1 Behavioral/ psychological development .................................................. 5 2.2.2 Learning ................................................................................................... 6 2.2.3 Trust and attachment ................................................................................ 7 2.2.4 Groza and Demchuk’s typology ................................................................ 8 2.3 Adoptive parents ................................................................................................... 10 2.3.1 Process of adoption ................................................................................ 10 2.3.2 Some rules and practicalities regarding adoption in Norway ................ 11 2.3.3 Studies on adoptive research .................................................................. 13 2.4 Parenting ................................................................................................................ 17 2.4.1 Earlier research on parenting .................................................................. 17 2.4.2 Baumrind’s findings ............................................................................... 18 2.4.3 Maccoby and Martin’s modification of Baumrind’s framework ........... 19 2.4.4 Factors affecting parenting ..................................................................... 20 2.4.4.1 Parent characteristics ............................................................... 20 2.4.4.2 Child characteristics ................................................................ 27 2.4.4.3 Contextual sources of stress and support ................................ 29 3 Research design .................................................................................................................... 30 3.1 Sampling ................................................................................................................ 31 3.2 Measuring parenting .............................................................................................. 31 3.3 Procedures ............................................................................................................. 33 3.4 Demographics ........................................................................................................ 34 3.5 Data analysis ......................................................................................................... 37 3.6 Ethical issues .......................................................................................................... 38 4 Results .................................................................................................................................. 40 IX 5 Discussion ............................................................................................................................ 49 5.1 On the demographic information .......................................................................... 49 5.2 On authoritative parenting style ............................................................................ 49 5.3 Authoritative parenting style for adoptive children .............................................. 52 5.4 An attempt to compare the parenting styles of adoptive parents and other parents53 5.5 On corporal punishment ........................................................................................ 54 6 Limitations and recommendations ...................................................................................... 56 6.1 Theoretical framework .......................................................................................... 56 6.1.1 Understanding of parenting styles .......................................................... 56 6.1.2 Understanding of parenting in light of a more holistic familial system . 56 6.2 Research method ................................................................................................... 57 6.2.1 Sampling ................................................................................................. 56 6.2.2 The survery – Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) 58 7 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 62 8 References ............................................................................................................................ 63 9 Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 65 9.1 Online questionnaire (English version) ................................................................. 70 9.2 Online questionnaire (Norwegian version) ........................................................... 73 X Tables and figures Table 3.2.1- Sample items for each of the subfactors of the parenting styles ......................... 32 Figure 3.5.1- Parent’s gender .................................................................................................. 34 Figure 3.5.2- Parent’s age ....................................................................................................... 34 Figure 3.5.3- Parent’s educational level .................................................................................. 35 Figure 3.5.4- The total annual family income (after tax) ........................................................ 35 Figure 3.5.5- Child’s gender ................................................................................................... 36 Figure 3.5.6- Child’s age ......................................................................................................... 36 Figure 3.5.7- Child’s country of origin ................................................................................... 37 Table 4.1.1- Results for the connection dimension ................................................................. 40 Table 4.1.2- Results for the regulation dimension ................................................................... 41 Table 4.1.3- Results for the autonomy dimension .................................................................. 42 Table 4.1.4- Results for the physical coercion dimension ...................................................... 43 Table 4.1.5- Results for the verbal hostility dimension .......................................................... 44 Table 4.1.6- Results for the non-reasoning/ punitive dimension ............................................ 45 Table 4.1.7- Results for the indulgent dimension ................................................................... 46 Table 5.2.1- The mean score of the parenting style of the adoptive parents ........................... 50 Table 5.2.2- The mean score of the parenting style of the parents from another study (Winsler et al., 2005) .............................................................................................................................. 54 Table 6.1- Comparison of the original English version and the Norwegian translation of statement 1 of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire ....................................... 58 Table 6.2- Comparison of the