Expecting an already born child: Prospective adoptive parents’ expectations in intercountry adoption

Prospective adoptive parents need to develop adequate knowledge of adoptive parenthood and adoptable children before child placement. Pre-adoption preparation has been considered a predictor of positive outcomes both for parents and children, while unrealistic expectations towards adoptive parenthood are related to difficulties in facing the adoptive parenting process, especially those that may arise from the child’s emotional, psychological and behavioural problems. Despite the importance of prospective adoptive parents’ expectations for the positive outcomes of adoption, few studies have examined the expectations of couples awaiting adoption. This article investigates the expectations concerning adoptive parenting in a group of 60 Italian prospective adoptive parents who completed an open-ended questionnaire aimed at understanding their expectations regarding adoptable children and their wishes and fears about adoptive parenting. The thematic analysis highlighted prospective adoptive parents’ expectations of more desirable qualities of children and underestimation of the difficulties they may encounter during the adoptees’ adjustment process. The results offer insights to adoption professionals with a view to enhancing the quality of prospective adoptive parents’ preparation before child placement.