FAMILYPSYCH
Adoption.
Adoptive families must face complex tasks such as addressing their children’s origins, managing emotional processes within the family, and navigating the experience of the adoption process, among others. In this regard, our team aims to understand the mechanisms that generate difficulties for family members, contributing to the development of assessment tools and intervention programmes that can respond to these situations.
In this line of research, we focus on the following areas:
- Communication about origins within the family.
- Emotional dynamics and regulation in adoptive families.
- Siblings in adoptive families.
- Impact of open adoption and recommendations for practice.
- Adoptive identity and emotional well-being in adopted young adults.
- Experience of the adoption process and search for origins.
- Cultural and racial socialisation in multiracial adoptive families.
Contact: adopcion.research@deusto.es
“Building Relationships in Adoptive Families” Programme
The programme aims to provide adoptive parents with tools for communicating about origins with their children, fostering an open climate that supports and encourages such communication.
A six-session weekly workshop designed to:
- Sharing experiences with other mothers and fathers.
- Managing emotions and promoting emotional expression.avorecer la expresión emociona.
- Supporting the integration of family generations.
- Developing a coherent and integrated narrative of their children’s past.
The programme is designed for adoptive mothers and fathers whose adopted children have been with the adoptive family for three years or more, and who are aged between 4 and 12 years, whether in cases of domestic adoption or international adoption.
The programme is available on request for organisations working with adoptive families.
If you would like to implement the programme in your service, please contact us and we will provide training and materials.
Current Projects.
Romantic relationships, identity and well-being in young adult adoptees
Susana Corral (PI; University of Deusto, UD), Nerea Martín (University of Deusto, UD), Mireia Sanz (Begoñako Andra Mari University School of Teacher Training – BAM), Lucía Rabadán (Independent researcher) and Sarabel Fernández Elorduy (University of Deusto, UD)
This study aims to enhance understanding of the impact that the adoption process has in adulthood, specifically among young adult adoptees. This is a relatively underexplored area within adoption research. Little is known about its impact in this age group, particularly in relation to relational factors (family relationships and the formation of intimate partner relationships).
Thus, using a quantitative approach, this study will explore and collect new evidence on the psychological well-being of young adult adoptees and its relationship with the aforementioned relational factors. This will allow for a better understanding of the additional developmental tasks faced by adopted individuals when they reach young adulthood, as well as the impact that adoption may have on these processes. The study will also provide the scientific community and adoption professionals with evidence-based tools for intervention with these young people and their families, and contribute to the development of appropriate interventions, both individual and group-based.
Talking about Origins. Adoptive families
Nerea Martín (PI; University of Deusto, UD) and Susana Corral (University of Deusto, UD)
This study aims to understand adoptive mothers’ and fathers’ perspectives on communication about origins within the family context, their experience of adoption, and how these may be related to family dynamics and psychological well-being. The project also includes the validation of a new instrument designed to assess family communication about adoption (Parental Adoption Communication Scale, PACS), and to explore, within adoptive families, the role of interpersonal and intrapersonal variables in openness in communication about origins.
Other projects.
Communication about Origins in Adoption and Open Adoption: Recommendations for Clinical Practice in the Current Legislative Context
Susana Corral (PI; University of Deusto, UD), Nerea Martín (University of Deusto, UD) and Mireia Sanz (Begoñako Andra Mari University School of Teacher Training – BAM)
The overall aim of this project is to explore communication about origins in adoption from the perspective of adoption professionals and technical practitioners, within the legal framework of open adoption. The specific objectives of this project include: (a) to deepen the study of communication about origins and adoption; (b) to further examine the legal concept of “open adoption” and its impact on the adoption process; and (c) to develop recommendations for working with families and children in the post-adoption process.
Pilot study of the programme “Building Relationships in Adoptive Families. Talking about Origins” (Aristos Campus Mundus 2017–2019)
PI: Susana Corral (University of Deusto, UD)
In collaboration with the teams led by Ana Berástegui Pedro-Viejo (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) and Carles Pérez Testor (Ramon Llull University, URL), this project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention programme developed by the Deusto FamilyPsych research team. The programme, “Building Relationships in Adoptive Families. Talking about Origins”, seeks to provide parents with tools to facilitate communication about origins with their children, fostering an open communicative climate.
The opening of communication about adoption in Spain (ADOPCOM) (Aristos Campus Mundus 2015)
Carles Pérez Testor (Ramon Llull University, URL), Inés Aramburu (Ramon Llull University, URL), Vinyet Mirabent (Ramon Llull University, URL), Berta Aznar (Ramon Llull University, URL), Montse Davins (Ramon Llull University, URL), Anna Vilaregut (Ramon Llull University, URL), Ana Martínez Pampliega (University of Deusto, UD), Leire Iriarte (University of Deusto, UD), Susana Corral (University of Deusto, UD), Félix Loizaga (University of Deusto, UD), Susana Cormenzana (University of Deusto, UD) and Mireia Sanz (University of Deusto, UD)
Adoption: Health and Family (Aristos Campus Mundus 2014)
Ana Martínez-Pampliega (University of Deusto, UD), Susana Corral (University of Deusto, UD), Félix Loizaga (University of Deusto, UD), Edurne Urrutia (University of Deusto, UD), Carles Pérez-Testor (Ramon Llull University, URL) and Iñigo Ochoa de Alda (University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU)
Resources for adoptive families, adopted individuals and professionals.
Books.
Movies.
Websites.
Materials for families on communicating about adoption with their children, discussing racism, school-related communication, etc.
Article by Dr Ana Berástegui on how to talk to children about adoption
Guides and publications by the Agintzari association
Document developed by Fundación Meniños to guide work on the development of “Life Stories.”
Website of the Adopción Punto de Encuentro Association, offering useful resources as well as links to other relevant websites.
Resources.
familypsych
Publications and conferences.
Articles
Corral, S., Cormenzana, S., Berástegui, A., Pérez-Testor, C., García-Sanjuán, N., & Aramburu, I. Talking about the origins: a pilot intervention to build family relations in adoptive families. Manuscript in preparation.
Martín, N. and Corral, S. Adoptive parents, communication, and stress: interpersonal emotion regulation and family cohesion’s role. Manuscript under review.
Martín, N., Barrera, D. and Corral, S. Communication about origins and search in adoption: A parental perspective. Manuscript under review.
Martín, N. and Corral, S. How does my sibling’s relationship with their origins influence my own? Manuscript under review.
Corral, S., Herrero, M., Martín, N., Gordejuela, A. & Herrero-Fernández, D. (2021). Psychological adjustment in adult adoptees: A meta-analysis. Psicothema, 33(4), 527-535. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2021.98
Martín, N. and Corral, S. (2021). Search and communication about origins in internationally adopted young adults in Spain: A phenomenological perspective. Journal of Family Issues (OnlineFirst).
Martín, N., Corral, S. and Sanz, M. (2021). Adoption in the 1970s: the experience of origins from the perspective of three protagonists Familia: Revista de Ciencias y Orientación Familiar, 59, 85-102.
Corral, S., Urrutia, E., Sanz, M., Cormenzana, S., Ochoa de Alda, I. & Martínez-Pampliega, A. (2018). Bases for intervention with adoptive parents. Building family relationships based on attachment La Revue du Redif, 10, 32-41.
Book chapters
Corral, S., Urrutia, E., and Ochoa de Alda, I. (2017). Talking about origins in adoption: an intervention proposal for adoptive parents. In F. Loizaga, Adoption in adolescence and youth: Progressing with adopted young people and their adoptive families (pp. 465–485). Bilbao: Ediciones Mensajero.
Conferences
Corral, S., Cormenzana, S., Berástegui, A., García-Sanjuán, N., Pérez-Testor, C., & Aramburu, I. (2021). Building relationships in adoptive families: effectiveness of a post-adoption intervention for adoptive parents. Presentation at International Conference on Adoption Research 7 (ICAR7), Milan, Italy.
Martín, N., & Corral, S. (2021). How does my sibling’s relationship with their origins influence my own? Presentation at International Conference on Adoption Research 7 (ICAR7), Milan, Italy.
Martín, N., Berástegui, A., García-Sanjuán, N., Pérez-Testor, C., Aramburu, I. and Corral, S. (2018). Communication about origins and family variables in adoptive parents. International Conference “Conflict and Crisis in Families. Advances in Clinical and Community Intervention”, Bilbao.
Aramburu, I., Pérez-Testor, C., Corral, S., Cormenzana, S., García, N. and Berástegui, A. (2018). Talking about origins: Supporting the construction of resilient narratives in adoption. XIV International Congress on Child Abuse, Barcelona.
Berástegui, A., García-Sanjuán, N., Pérez-Testor, C., Aramburu, I., Corral, S. and Martínez-Pampliega, A. (2018). Talking about the origins: preliminary results of an intervention on family relationships and communication about adoption. 9th Congress of the European Society on Family Relations, Porto, Portugal.
Berástegui, A., García-Sanjuán, N., Pérez-Testor, C., Aramburu, I., Corral, S. and Martínez-Pampliega, A. (2018). Talking about the origins: preliminary results of an intervention on family relationships and communication about adoption. 9th Congress of the European Society on Family Relations, Porto, Portugal.
Berástegui, A., García-Sanjuán, N., Pérez-Testor, C., Aramburu, I., Corral, S. and Martínez-Pampliega, A. (2018). Talking about the origins: preliminary results of an intervention on family relationships and communication about adoption. 9th Congress of the European Society on Family Relations, Porto, Portugal.
Corral, S., Urrutia, E., Sanz, M., Cormenzana, S., Ochoa de Alda, I. and Martínez-Pampliega, A. (2017). Programmes to promote communication about origins. Invited talk at the conference “Breaking patterns: special adoptions and open adoptions in the best interests of the child”, Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid.
Urrutia, E., Corral, S., Sanz, M., Cormenzana, S., Ochoa de Alda, I. & Martínez-Pampliega, A. (2017). Talking about origins in adoption: an intervention programme for adoptive families. Presentation at 5th International Congress of Educational Sciences and Development, Santander.
Corral, S. and Martínez-Pampliega, A. (2016). Manual on communication about origins. Presentation at the Seminar “Challenges of International Adoption in Europe”, Vidal i Barraquer University Institute of Mental Health – Ramon Llull University, Barcelona.
Corral, S. (2015). Post-adoption intervention addressing family difficulties in communication about origins. Invited talk at the Workshop “Challenges of adoption and foster care today”, Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid.
Participate
Romantic relationships, identity and well-being in young adult adoptees
If you are between 18 and 30 years old and were adopted during childhood, we would like to invite you to participate in this study and answer questions about identity, psychological well-being, and the formation of intimate romantic relationships.
We greatly appreciate your collaboration, as it will allow us to better understand the additional developmental tasks faced by adopted individuals in young adulthood and to design appropriate support strategies.
Talking about Origins. Adoptive families
If you are an adoptive parent, we would like to invite you to participate in this study and ask about communication regarding origins, family adjustment, expectations related to adoption, and psychological well-being that you may have experienced.
We greatly appreciate your collaboration, as it will allow us to better understand the additional challenges faced by adoptive families and to provide improved support for them.