ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews two major themes: first, the definition of stress, and second, issues of parenthood in general. The understanding of issues in parenting in general will shed light on the extra demand of adoptive parenthood in particular. The chapter looks into the particularities of adoptive parenthood. It addresses the issues faced by parents in general in order to comprehend the extra demands on adoptive parents. Theories on parenting can be broadly grouped under six areas: crisis theory, role theory, social class, social support, parental perception and meta-emotion structure. Unlike the crisis theorists who assume that parenthood presents some crisis or difficulty, role theorists see parenthood as a change in the roles performed by individuals. New developments on issues of parenting in the 1990s are around discussions concerning how marital satisfaction and parental communication skills affect physical, emotional and cognitive development of their children.
