Specificity of the socio-psychological portrait of candidates for substitute parents in various forms of family placement of orphans

<p><strong>Context</strong><strong> and relevance.</strong> The problem of the family structure of orphaned children remains relevant in Russian social policy. The high percentage of returns (4725 cases in 2024) indicates shortcomings in the candidate selection methods. <strong>Goal.</strong> To identify the specifics of socio-psychological characteristics of candidates in various forms of family structure. <strong>Hypothesis.</strong> The socio-psychological profile of candidates has specific features depending on the form of family arrangement (unpaid guardianship, paid guardianship/foster family, adoption). <strong>Methods</strong><strong> and materials.</strong> 45 candidates participated in the study (15 adoptive parents, 15 guardians, 15 foster parents; M~age = 49 ± 19 years; 62,2% of women; 73,3% of adoptive parents with higher education). The methods "Five-factor questionnaire" by R. McCrae and P. Costa, "Motivation for the admission of an orphan child to a substitute family" by V. Oslon were used. <strong>Results.</strong> Adoptive parents are focused on the "self-worth of the child", foster parents demonstrate a high openness to experience and altruism, guardians are motivated by resolving the family crisis. <strong>Conclusions.</strong> The results confirm the need for a differentiated approach to family selection and support.</p>