This research work aimed at carring out a study on late adoptions, comparing parents who adopted children over two years old with those who adopted babies. The main elements focused on were: civil status; age; education; level of income; presence of biological children; and motivations for the adoption. Altruism, maturity, and emotional stability of the adopters were also investigated. The sample consisted of 27 late adopters and 55 conventional adopters, regardless of their participation in Groups of Support for Adoption. The instrument used consisted of a questionnaire about adoption; questions about maturity and emotional stability; and of a scale of altruism. The results indicated distinctions to the emphasized aspects. The late adopters, compared to the conventional ones, featured a higher social and economic level, differences in their marital status, a higher proportion of biological children, and a higher maturity and stability. Regarding both motivations and altruism, the two groups presented significant differences.
Adoption; abandon; altruism; maturity, and emotional stability
