Implicit attitudes towards adopted children - do future experts need (additonal) adoption education?

Prema National Adoption Attitudes Survey (2002) polovina Amerikanaca za posvojenu djecu smatra da će vjerojatnije imati probleme u ponašanju i školovanju, a trećina da će vjerojatnije imati medicinske probleme i probleme s drogom/alkoholom te manje vjerojatno biti sretna, samopouzdana i dobro prilagođena. Slični rezultati dobiveni su i na stručnjacima – školskim savjetnicima, socijalnim radnicima i obiteljskim terapeutima, što upozorava na mogućnost stigmatizacije posvojene djece, čak i kod profesionalaca koji (im) pružaju podršku i pomoć. S ciljem istraživanja te teme u Hrvatskoj ispitivali smo implicitne stavove prema posvojenoj djeci kod budućih stručnjakinja (psihologinja, socijalnih radnica i učiteljica) te ispitali njihovu informiranost i potrebu za edukacijom o posvojenju. Studentice (N = 255) su po slučaju pridijeljene jednoj od četiri skupine. Nakon čitanja jedne od četiri vinjete (biološko/posvojeno dijete × 1/2 roditelja) trebale su procijeniti osobine, potrebu za stručnom pomoći te potencijalne buduće probleme opisanog djeteta. Studentice su osobine i buduće probleme djeteta procjenjivale neovisno o načinu formiranja obitelji, ali su ipak potrebu za stručnom pomoći u slučaju posvojenog djeteta procijenile većom. Vlastitu informiranost buduće stručnjakinje procjenjuju slabijom – pri čemu kao glavne izvore informacija o posvojenju uglavnom navode televiziju/dnevne novine, internet te obitelj i prijatelje, dok istovremeno takve sadržaje smatraju dosta korisnima za buduću profesiju. Rezultati sugeriraju potrebu za dodatnom edukacijom na temu posvojenja u sklopu fakultetskog obrazovanja – u svrhu osiguravanja većeg znanja i osviještenosti budućih stručnjaka te prevencije stigmatizacije posvojene djece.National Adoption Attitudes Survey (2002) revealed that a half of Americans believe that adoptees are more likely to have behavioral and educational problems, and a third that they are more likely to have medical and drug/alcohol related problems and are less likely to be happy, self-confident and well adjusted. Experts – school counsellors, social workers and family therapists held similar beliefs, which indicates the possibility of stigmatization of adoptees, even by professionals that provide (them) support and help. Aiming to explore this subject in Croatia, we investigated future psychologists’, social workers’ and teachers’ implicit attitudes towards adopted children and examined their adoption awareness and need for adoption education. Female students (N = 255) were randomly assigned to one out of four groups. After reading one out of four vignettes (biological/adopted child × 1/2 parents) their task was to evaluate characteristics, need for special help and future problems of the described child. Though participants assessed the child’s characteristics and future problems regardless the way the family was formed, they also estimated that the adopted child needs more professional help. Future experts stated they were not well informed about adoption – mostly listing television/daily newspapers, the Internet and family and friends as their main source of adoption information, but at the same time they found the topic very useful for their future profession. These findings suggest a need for additional adoption education in university programs – with the goal of ensuring future experts’ greater knowledge and awareness and preventing stigmatization of adopted children