Search and Communication About Origins in Internationally Adopted Young Adults in Spain: A Phenomenological Perspective

Adoption is considered a lifelong process for those involved in it. In this vein, adoptees’ lives seem to be impacted by their origins and every experience that occurred before their adoption. The aim of this study is to explore adult adoptees’ experience with respect to their adoptive condition, communication about origins, and search for their origins. In this study, 11 adult adoptees took part, 10 women and one man aged between 18 and 26 years. Interviews were conducted to examine participants’ experiences, which were subsequently analyzed following interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results showed that most of the participants experience an open communication about origins and adoption with their parents and their environment. However, participants pointed to the existence of some limits in such communication. Participants noted a similar experience with respect to search. Based on the results, future studies should focus on the study of adoption in different stages of adulthood.