Factors Influencing Child Adoption among Women with Infertility in the Bawku Municipality
Date
2016-07
Authors
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Publisher
University of Ghana
Abstract
Having a child is an essential part of every marriage especially in a typical Ghanaian society where
children are required for the continuity of lineage. Child adoption provides an alternative for having
children and can be used to meet the needs of women who are unable to produce their own children.
The purpose of this study was to explore the factors influencing child adoption among women with
infertility in the Bawku Municipality. The study was a qualitative research with an exploratory
descriptive design. Fifteen women attending fertility clinic at the Presbyterian Hospital, Bawku who
met the inclusion criteria were purposively sampled for the study. Data were collected by
interviewing the women using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were audio recorded
and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The study revealed
that the women suffered both psychological and social consequences of infertility. The findings also
indicated that the concept of child adoption is known to the women and there were various reasons
why some will prefer either informal or formal child adoption. However, the process and
requirements for child adoption were not well known by the women. The women stated that the
benefits of child adoption include happiness, divine blessings from God, the child being a source of
helping hand and also getting a child of your preferred gender. The women also stated the barriers
associated with adopting a child as reaction of husbands, psychological dissatisfaction, perceived
future uncertainties and unacceptability/discrimination by community members. Some of the women
had a positive conviction on their ability to engage in child adoption while others had a negative
conviction. The sources of information on child adoption as listed by the women include community
members, mass media and religious sources. With regards to behaviours towards child adoption,
some women were willing, others were not and yet others were ambivalent. The findings of this study
have laid the grounds for efforts to be directed towards educating and supporting infertile women and
their partners to explore the option of child adoption.
Description
Thesis(MPHIL)-University of Ghana, 2016
Keywords
Child Adoption, Infertility, Women, Bawku Municipality