White envy and piggy-backing privilege : exploring adult Korean transracial adoptees' identities in the Canadian context

The purpose of this study is to explore how adult Korean transracial adoptees reflect on their racial and adoptive identities throughout their lifetimes, developing a unique sense of belonging and membership in the Canadian context. The main question under investigation is: If transracial adoptees have been raised among predominately white family and community members, then how do their processes of racial and adoptive identity formation fit into to critical theories of racialization and frameworks of normalized whiteness and colour blindness: Six interviews explore processes in which Korean transracial adoptees develop complex identities to navigate through difference, engaging with ethnic communities and their birth cultures to develop a distinctive membership in society. Research in the field of transracial adoption is crucial for revising policy and practice, engaging with adoptive parents' racial (in)sensitivities, expanding the notion of the traditional family, and pushing social workers and adoption agencies to step outside their comfort zones.

White envy and piggy-backing privilege : exploring adult Korean transracial adoptees' identities in the Canadian context

The purpose of this study is to explore how adult Korean transracial adoptees reflect on their racial and adoptive identities throughout their lifetimes, developing a unique sense of belonging and membership in the Canadian context. The main question under investigation is: If transracial adoptees have been raised among predominately white family and community members, then how do their processes of racial and adoptive identity formation fit into to critical theories of racialization and frameworks of normalized whiteness and colour blindness: Six interviews explore processes in which Korean transracial adoptees develop complex identities to navigate through difference, engaging with ethnic communities and their birth cultures to develop a distinctive membership in society. Research in the field of transracial adoption is crucial for revising policy and practice, engaging with adoptive parents' racial (in)sensitivities, expanding the notion of the traditional family, and pushing social workers and adoption agencies to step outside their comfort zones.

Addressing Adoption in Counseling: A Study of Adult Adoptees' Counseling Satisfaction

In this mixed-methods study, 118 adult adoptees completed an online survey gathering information on (a) reasons for seeking therapy, (b) preferences for therapists, (c) perception of therapists' degree of emphasis on adoption during therapy, and (d) relationship satisfaction with adoptive and birth family members. The participants also completed the Satisfaction With Therapy and Therapist Scale–Revised (STTS-R), Adoptive Identity Questionnaire (AIQ), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES). Findings were that the therapists' adoption competence was the most important factor for adoptees in selecting therapists, adoption-related issues were the most common reason adoptees sought therapy, and adoptees reported being more satisfied with therapy if their therapists placed emphasis on adoption regardless of the amount of attention that was focused on adoption.

A Communication-Based Approach to Adoptive Identity: Theoretical and Empirical Support

The current study uses structural equation modeling to examine adoptive parent communication as it relates to adoptee adjustment directly and indirectly through adoptive identity. Using retrospective accounts of 179 adult adoptees, findings indicate that both adoption- (adoption communication openness) and non-adoption-related (parental confirmation and affectionate communication) parental communication are related to adoptive identity work and positive affect about adoption and birth parents. Preoccupation mediates the relationship between parental communication and adoptee adjustment. The current study integrates research and theorizing from identity, adoption, and communication literatures to develop a communication-centered conceptual model of adoptive identity development to inform future adoption research and practice.