ADOZIONE E ADOLESCENZA: LA COSTRUZIONE DELL’IDENTITÀ IN ADOLESCENTI CHE SONO STATI ADOTTATI. ITALIA E ARGENTINA A CONFRONTO

One of the primary tasks in the psychological development of all adolescents and young people is the construction of a stable and secure Self, which is the base of the sense of personal identity. Adoptive children face a dual task: strengthening/complexification of “normal” adolescence conditions and dealing with adoption/specification variables (Chistolini, 2010). Parents can play a decisive role in their children’s identity take-over; the development context has a fundamental influence (Rosnati, 2010; Scabini, Rossi, 2014) on both a microsystemic level (e.g. peer group) and macrosystemic one (culture of the adoptive country) (Brodzinsky, 2014). The comparison between countries with different institutional conditions and lifestyles has become therefore important and urgent. The theoretical framework in which it is inserted is considered part of the non-comparative research field (adopted vs not adopted); it happens by focusing on the individual and interpersonal processes aspects (family and peers group) (Palacios, Brodzinsky, 2010). AIM: The research project aims, through qualitative and quantitative methods, to investigate carefully the identity formation in adopted adolescents; in particular, it will analyze adolescents development which is connected with identity development and self concept. Meeus’ dutch model (2008) will be considered, focusing on his three factors: commitment, in-depth exploration and commitment reconsideration. It will be necessary to identify the impact exercised by the adoptive parents and the peer group in the acquisition of identity and the resulting adaptation in terms of life satisfaction and self-determination, as well as how people look for their origins (Brodzinsky, 2011 Fermani , 2014). METHODS Participants: in the first step, 141 adopted adolescents and young people participated. 69 are Argentines and 72 Italians, including 47 males (33.3%) and 94 females (66.7%). Adolescents are aged between 11 and 31 years (mean 20, 5; DS.4,7). The second step was attended by 10 Italian and 10 Argentine adolescents; at the time of the interview, they had been adopted with age between 12 and 18 years old. The Argentinian sub-sample was comprised of 6 males and 4 females; the age of adoption goes from the first days to 12 years. All the children have been adopted through domestic adoption. The Italian sub-sample was made up of 5 males and 5 females; the adoption time goes from 13 months to 9 years. All the children have been adopted through international adoption. Procedure: during the first step, quantitative data were collected through the distribution of questionnaires written both in Italian and in Spanish; they were given to Italian and Argentinian adopted children. During the second step, qualitative data have been collected by analysing 20 indepth semi-structured interviews to Italian and Argentine adolescents who were adopted. It has been required the collaboration of associations of adoptive families, authorized bodies, schools, professionals, practitioners working in the field of adoption. Measures: during the first step, the data have been collected using a questionnaire made by socioanagraphic questions and by the following scales: Self Concept Clarity (SCC_Campbell et al., 1996); α .83; self-determination evaluation(Soresi et al., 2004); α .72; Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS_Diener et al., 1985); α .87; The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (Meeus, 2008) (educational commitment: α .90, educational exploration: α .77, educational reconsideration: α .79); The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA_Armsden e Greenberg, 1987) (trust adolescent father: α .83, communication adolescent father: α .87, closeness adolescent father:α .74, trust adolescent mother: α .85, communication adolescent mother:α .60, closeness adolescent mother: α .64, peer attachment: α .94). During the second step, interviews have been made using Friends and Family Interview” (Steele and Steele, 2005). RESULTS Self-concept clarity MANOVA shows that the clarity of the Self-concept does not vary significantly either by gender or by nationality. As for the age of the participants however, the concept of self decreases with the growth. Self-determination and satisfaction in life Participants perceive themselves with a low self-determination ability, showing statistically significant differences according to their nationality (F (4,722) = 1, p <.01, η².036). The Argentine boys and girls have lower self-determination in comparison to the Italian peers. Comparing the averages, Italians show lower scores of life satisfaction than Argentines (mean = 2.74, DS.69; Likert 1-7) Identity With regard to the nationality, significant differences are in the commitment (F (7,476) = 1, p <0.01) η ².056). They showed significant differences according to age and gender (F (, 050) = 1, p <.05 η².000). Young males got a lower score in commitment reconsideration in comparison with adolescent males. The relationship with parents Relationships with parents are characterized by strong bonds of attachment, especially with the mother. Regarding nationality, significant differences are highlighted in relation to the feeling of being understood by the father (F (4,170) = 1, p <.05, η ².032). The communication is based on the kind of nationality (F (8,700) = 1, p <0.01, η².064). Argentine males and Italian females show to have a worse ratio than their peers in relation to these factors. The relationship with friends Even relations with friends are characterized by strong bonds of attachment to all ages and regardless of gender. According to nationality, boys and girls Italians have got a higher score than the Argentine peers (mean = 3.57, SD = .72; Likert 1-5) Conclusions The evidence shows that the concept of Self Clarity worsens with age. The teenager who was adopted, in addition to the typical developmental tasks of this phase of the life cycle, also faces the task of dual membership (Colli, 2011). Faced with all these tasks that need to take place in adolescence, the clarity of Self-concept diminishes with age as it is linked to aging and to the specificities of the adoption (Chistolini, 2010). The attachment to peers is high as much as attachment to parents. The averages show statistically significant differences in relation to communication and understanding father. it is therefore important to consider the maternal role, but also the paternal one – more neglected. The relationship with parents is negatively associated with self-determination and positively to life satisfaction. One extremely protective educational style of the adoptive parents can affect the children self-determination. The interviews showed that the good bond that characterizes the majority of adopted adolescents, splitting and denial of the positive aspects of the biological parent, are associated with the idealization of the adoptive parent. This fact leads the adopted Argentine and Italian teenagers and that have been examined to not want to actively search for their biological parents (even if the internal search began not in adolescence but during childhood, in their imagination Brodzinsky, 2011).