Parenting experiences of individuals raised under protection

Children born into unhealthy family environments or growing up without a family often find foster care under state protection to be one of the primary solutions. When these children reach a certain age, they leave the care and enter adulthood, facing processes such as employment, marriage, and parenthood. This thesis research aims to deeply examine the parenting experiences and perceptions of individuals who grew up under state protection in institutional care in Turkey and later became parents. It seeks to identify the areas in which institutional care influences their parenting roles. The study seeks to identify areas of need in their parenting journey and the aspects that require support. A qualitative method was used in the study, and in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 17 participants, including 9 women and 8 men, between October 9, 2024, and February 3, 2025, both face-to-face and online. The data were analyzed using content analysis and evaluated under categories such as experiences of foster care, parenting experiences and perceptions, and the relationship between foster care and their parenting.The study found that parenting served as a source of motivation and strength for these individuals, allowing them to fulfill certain emotional needs. They often tried to avoid exhibiting the negative attitudes and behaviors they had experienced in the past toward their own children and selected sensitive and supportive caregivers as role models. However, they generally learned parenting on their own. On the other hand, findings revealed that they occasionally felt inadequate and anxious while raising their children, were unprepared for adulthood and parenthood, faced a lack of knowledge about marriage and parenting, and experienced insufficient psychological, economic, and social support. Additionally, they were subject to stigmatization and prejudice and struggled due to a lack of responsibility during their time in institutional care. Based on these findings, various recommendations were provided to address these issues.