Abstract

The aim of this research is to investigate the parenting capabilities of couples who want to adopt, in the context of attachment theory. The sample consisted of 100 subjects (50 couples) who took part in the process of assessment related to adoption within the Social Services structures of Regione Lazio. The subjects had the following features in common: age, between 35 and 45; duration of the marriage between 7 and 10 years; absence of biological or previously adopted children. Method: A Psychosocial Questionnaire, a self report instrument especially created for this research to explore the experience of infertility and the motivation for adoption (Santona, 2004); the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; Main, Goldwyn, 1998); the Family Life Space (FLS; Gozzoli, Tamanza, 1998) were used. Outcomes: The data have shown a majority of couples classified by AAI as "Secure" (56%), and a small number of couples formed by partners both classified as "Insecure". Moreover we found a prevalence of couples who are classified by the FLS instrument as failing in the "space's government" (Fragmentation and Over-filling = 68%). Conclusions: These results suggest that adoptive couples show on one side a strong appreciation of affects and attachment needs, but on the other side they are still living a crisis in their relationship in regard to represent themselves as a marital and a parental unit.