Abstract

Birthparents remain the most neglected focus of the adoptive triad in terms of practice, research and policy. Previous research has highlighted how the needs of parents who have their children removed are often unmet by services. This research explored the experiences of mothers, with trauma histories, who had made or agreed with the decision for their child to be placed into care. Three British mothers of children in care each participated in two semi-structured interviews. Data was analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three superordinate themes were generated: A fractured sense of motherhood highlighted the struggle with mothering identities in line with feelings of disconnection and separation; ‘I wish I could turn back the clocks’: Living with feelings of failure and shame illuminated the underlying feelings of guilt and shame associated with perceived failings; ‘Less than a person’: Becoming nothing and no-one alluded to experiences of disempowerment and dehumanization. Implications for reducing burden on adoption services are discussed through interventions sensitive to the operation of power, whilst the need for therapeutic services that acknowledge loss and grief are highlighted for relinquishing birthmothers.

摘要

在实践、研究和政策方面，亲生父母仍然是收养三合会中最被忽视的焦点。先前的研究强调了服务如何经常无法满足让孩子被移除的父母的需求。这项研究探讨了有创伤史的母亲的经历，她们已经做出或同意将孩子置于护理中的决定。三名英国儿童母亲分别参加了两次半结构化访谈。使用解释性现象学分析对数据进行分析。产生了三个上级主题：一种破碎的母性感，突出了与母性身份的斗争，以及分离和分离的感觉；“我希望我可以让时光倒流”：生活在失败和羞耻感中阐明与感知失败相关的内疚和羞耻感；“比一个人还少”：成为一无所有和无人提及的被剥夺权力和非人化的经历。通过对权力运作敏感的干预措施讨论了减轻收养服务负担的影响，同时强调了对放弃生母的需要承认损失和悲伤的治疗服务。