All issues > Volume 42(1); 1999

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1999;42(1):115-121. Published online January 15, 1999.

Changing Social Background Pattern of Children in Adoption Institutions(the 4th Report)

Hye Jeong HJ Kim¹, Jin A JA Son¹, Jae Youn JY Kim¹, Don Hee DH Ahn¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Purpose
: A study was undertaken to assess the social background of abandoning children at adoption institutions. The results were compared to those of three previous reports from the institution.
Methods
: A total of 536 children who had been admitted to the institution during the period of 1993 to 1996 were subjected to the study. The medical records were reviewed retrospectively.
Results
: The sex ratio of male to female was 1 : 0.9, which was opposite compared to previous studies. Mean birth weight was 2.76±0.58kg. The proportion of prematurity was 27.2% and their mean gestational age was 34.0±2.25 weeks. The academic background of the mother was mainly high school, comprising 58.4%. The highest rate of maternal age(75.9%) was between 16 to 25 years of age. Maternal age below 15 years was 2.8%, which showed increased in tendency compared to previous studies. Classifying the mother’s occupation, they were unemployed(19.4%), office workers(16.8%), store clerks(15.9%), students(13.6%), factory workers(12.3%) and waitresses (5.6%) in this order of frequency. The order of birth showed that the first baby was 89.4%. The reasons for putting their baby up for adoption were they were unmarried(83.2%), poor(8.6%), extramarital birth(3.2%), divorce(2.9%) and death of parents(0.4%) in this order of frequency, showing a significant increased in the rate of unmarried mothers. Only 38.4% of mothers had taken antenatal care. Most of the children (90.8%) were adopted by parents in foreign countries.
Conclusion
: The main reason for adoption was the mothers were unmarried and the maternal age tended to be younger. The rate of foreign adoption was still high.

Keywords :Institutionalized children, Social background, Adoption