RUNNING HEAD: THE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF ADOPTION…….. The Practices and Challenges of Adoption Disclosure in Selected Local Adoption Organizations in Addis Ababa. By Elias Ermias A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Addis Ababa University, In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters in Social Work, Addis Ababa June 2019 Advisor: Tenagne Alemu (Phd) THE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF ADOPTION DISCLOSURE…. Addis Ababa University School of Graduate Studies The Practices and Challenges of Adoption Disclosure in Selected Local Adoption Organizations in Addis Ababa. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Social Work By Elias Ermias Approved by Board of Examiners: Tenagne Alemu (PhD) _____________ ______________ Advisor Signature Date __________________ ______________ _______________ Internal Examiner Signature Date __________________ _______________ _______________ External Examiner Signature Date 2 THE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF ADOPTION DISCLOSURE…. DECLARATION I, Elias Ermias, declare that this thesis is my original work and has never been presented in any university. All resources and materials used in this thesis are duly acknowledged. Student name: Elias Ermias Signature: ______________________ Date of submission: ______________ Advisor: Tenagne Alemu (Phd) Signature: ______________________ Date of submission: ______________ 3 THE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF ADOPTION DISCLOSURE…. List of Acronyms MoWCYA - Ministry of Women, Children & Youth Affairs AAWCA - Addis Ababa Women and Children Affairs UNCRC - United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child MOH - Ministry of Health OVC - Orphan and Vulnerable Child CSA - Central Statistical Agency UNICEF - United Nations International Children‟s Emergency Fund 4 THE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF ADOPTION DISCLOSURE…. Acknowledgments Firstly, I would like to thank the Almighty God to be with me throughout my entire life and during my effort to realize this thesis. This work would not have been possible without the personal and professional guidance of my thesis advisor, Dr. Tenagne Alemu. I would like to appreciate his guidance and advise because of his rich knowledge and experience in research in general and the topic of my current thesis in particular. Most importantly, it is a pleasure of me expressing my heartfelt gratitude for Mihret Semu (wife- to-be) for her continuous encouragement and support to finish this project. Moreover, I am immensely grateful to my family for their encouragement. Lastly, I am grateful to all the participants in my research and Thanks to all my friends for their support. 5 THE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF ADOPTION DISCLOSURE…. Abstract The objective of the study is to assess the practices and challenges of adoption disclosure among adoptive parents who are adopting children through adoption organizations in Addis Ababa. The study employed qualitative research method and purposive sampling technique was used. The sample included 8 in-depth interviewees, 8 participants in FGD and 4 key informants. Adoptive parents were selected from Kebebe Tsehay Orphanage, Kidmia Association, and Bethany Christian Services. Moreover, key informants were also drawn from the Ministry of Women, Children & Youth Affairs (MOWCYA), Addis Ababa Women, Children & Youth Affairs Office, Kidmia Association & Bethany Christian Services. Primary data were used for the study. The findings of the study indicated that adoption disclosure is rarely practiced among adoptive parents. Based on the findings, challenges of adoption disclosure include fear of psychological effect on the child, societal stigma, fear of losing attachment after disclosure, desire to simulate biological parenthood, lack of knowledge about how and when to disclose, and lack of support from others on disclosure. The other finding is that adoptive parents employ different coping mechanisms such as spirituality, simulating biological parenthood, avoiding the stressor and networking to cope with the challenges of adoption disclosure. The study suggested designing appropriate guidance and support mechanism for adoptive parents regarding adoption disclosure should be considered. Counseling and training services should be provided to adoptive parents to deal with challenges of adoption disclosure. Moreover, intensive awareness creation should be done on local adoption so that the community easily practices adoption disclosure. 6 THE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF ADOPTION DISCLOSURE…. Keywords: Adoption Disclosure, Local adoption, Adoptive parents, Local Adoption Organizations Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 10 1.1. Background ................................................................................................................................. 10 1.2. Statement of the problem ............................................................................................................ 12 1.3. Research questions ...................................................................................................................... 14 1.4. Significance of the study ............................................................................................................. 15 1.5. Limitations of the Study .............................................................................................................. 15 2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE .......................................................................................... 17 2.1. Concepts of Adoption ................................................................................................................. 17 2.2. Types of Adoption ...................................................................................................................... 19 2.3. Global Trends of Adoption ......................................................................................................... 20 2.3.1. Domestic Adoption ............................................................................................................. 21 2.3.2. Inter-country Adoption ....................................................................................................... 21 2.4. Adoption in Ethiopia ................................................................................................................... 22 2.5. Understanding Adoption Disclosure ........................................................................................... 23 2.6. The importance of adoption disclosure ....................................................................................... 24 2.7. The Rationale of Early disclosure ............................................................................................... 26 2.8. Practices of Adoption Disclosure ................................................................................................ 28 2.9. Challenges of Parental Disclosure of Adoption .......................................................................... 29 2.9.1. Lack of support from adoption agencies ............................................................................. 29 2.9.2. The attitude of adoptive parents towards adoption disclosure ............................................ 29 2.10. Coping Mechanisms ................................................................................................................ 30 2.11. Theoretical Orientation ............................................................................................................... 30 3. METHODS ......................................................................................................................................... 32 3.1. Research Design .......................................................................................................................... 32 3.2. Description of Study Area........................................................................................................... 33 3.3. Study Participants ....................................................................................................................... 35 3.4. Data Collection Procedures ......................................................................................................... 35 3.5. Data Collection Tools ................................................................................................................. 36 7 THE PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES OF ADOPTION DISCLOSURE…. 3.6. Data analysis ............................................................................................................................... 37 3.7. Quality Assurance ....................................................................................................................... 38 3.7.1. Trustworthiness ................................................................................................................... 38 3.8. Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................................ 39 4. FINDINGS .............................................................................................................................................. 39 4.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 39 4.2. Background of participants .............................................................................................................