Adoption with complications: Conversations with adoptees and adoptive parents on everyday racism and ethnic identity

2010 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Tigervall ◽  
Tobias Hübinette
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Ethnic Origin ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adult Adoptees ◽  
International Adoptees ◽  
Majority Population ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children ◽  
Adoption Research ◽  
And Coping

This study is based on qualitative interviews with 20 adult international adoptees of colour and eight adoptive parents with internationally adopted children in Sweden regarding their experiences of racialization, ethnic identifications and coping strategies. The findings suggest that the non-white bodies of the adoptees are constantly made significant in their everyday lives in interactions with the white Swedish majority population, whether expressed as ‘curious questions’ concerning the ethnic origin of the adoptees or as outright aggressive racialization. The study argues that race has to be taken into consideration by Swedish adoption research and the Swedish adoption community, to be able to fully grasp the high preponderance of psychic ill health among adult adoptees as found by quantitative adoption research.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Group Therapy in Supporting Adoptive Families

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 01-06
Author(s):  
Shanika Lavi Wilson ◽  
Kristen DeGree ◽  
Christopher Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Group Therapy ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Parent Child Relationship ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
Adoption Research

Adopted children and their families have unique needs compared to non-adoptive families. Adoption research seeks to understand these unique needs and contribute to a growing field of adoption competent therapy. The purpose of this paper is to understand how adoption competent group therapy can benefit adoptive families, and provides analysis on secondary data collected in 2019 from pre and post measures for a weekly support group from post adoption program. The research included 8 participants who were adoptive parents of adolescent girls, and included quantitative and qualitative data about how parents and their children responded to the program. The questions covered a variety of topics regarding the child, adoptive parents, and the parent- child relationship as a while. The results showed that from a quantitative standpoint, minimal improvements were made after the group, but the qualitative data showed that the group provided numerous benefits for adoptive parents.

Rehabilitation and Remediation of Internationally Adopted Children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Gindis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Remedial Education ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
International Adoptees ◽  
The Social ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children

This book presents specific methods for the physical rehabilitation, mental health restoration, and academic remediation of post-institutionalized international adoptees. The focus of the book is on the neurological, psychological, and educational consequences of complex childhood trauma in the context of a fundamental change in the social situation of development of former orphanage residents. A discussion of after-adoption traumatic experiences includes a critique of certain “conventional” approaches to the treatment of mental health issues and different disabilities in international adoptees. Using his 30-year background in research and clinical practice, the author expertly describes and analyses a range of methodologies in order to provide an integrated and practical system of “scaffolding” and “compensation” for the successful rehabilitation and remediation of children with ongoing traumatic experiences. This is essential reading for researchers and practicing clinicians concerned with childhood trauma, remedial education, and issues of international adoption.

Open Adoption as a Family Form

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlene E. Miall ◽  
Karen March
Keyword(s):  
Survey Research ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Random Sample ◽  
Telephone Survey ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Open Adoption ◽  
Clinical Assessments ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

In this article, community assessments of support for three levels of open adoption are examined, including two types of mediated adoption, fully disclosed adoption, and confidential adoption. Combining telephone survey data from a Canada-wide random sample of 706 respondents with 82 qualitative interviews, the authors report on community assessments of these levels of openness and the relevance of these results for other survey research conducted on these issues. The authors also explore community assessments of the perceived advantages and disadvantages of open adoption and confidential adoption for adoptive parents, birthparents, and adopted children and how these may or may not reflect clinical assessments. Finally, the authors consider the implications of these results for clinical initiatives with members of the adoption triangle.

Bullying Among International Adoptees: Testing Risks and Protective Factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 930-951
Author(s):  
Eveliina Holmgren ◽  
Hanna Raaska ◽  
Helena Lapinleimu ◽  
Marko Elovainio
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adoptive Family ◽  
International Adoptees ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children ◽  
Bullying Experiences

This study examined the risks and protective factors for experiencing bullying and especially racist bullying among internationally adopted children in Finland. Factors examined were related to children's background, adoptive family, children's social problems and social skills, and their associations with bullying experiences. About 56.9% of children reported bullying victimization and 24.2% racist bullying victimization. Boys were at bigger risk of becoming bullied (B = 0.14, p < .05), as were children with disability (B = 0.11; p < .05). The continent of birth (European; B = 0.51; p < .001) and adoptive family's lower socioeconomic status (SES; B = 0.16; p < .05) were associated with increased victimization. Child's social problems increased the likelihood of victimization for both general (B = 0.59, p < .001) and racist bullying (B = 0.10, p < .001). Child's social skills appeared as a protective factor against general bullying (B = 3.87; p > .001). This study shows that interventions for tackling children's social problems and improving their social skills may reduce children's risk for bullying involvement.

Family context for emotional recovery in internationally adopted children

2009 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 609-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Palacios ◽  
Maite Román ◽  
Carmen Moreno ◽  
Esperanza León
Keyword(s):  
Comparison Group ◽  
Reflective Functioning ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Family Context ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Attachment Disorders ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children ◽  
Emotional Recovery ◽  
Internationally Adopted

English The context for emotional recovery was analysed in 30 Spanish parents adopting from Russia and a comparison group. The adopted children’s attachment disorders improved significantly after adoption. Adoptive parents showed a more sophisticated and optimistic reflective functioning about their children and their parenting experience. French Le contexte du rétablissement affectif a été analysé chez 30 couples de parents espagnols adoptant des enfants en provenance de Russie et comparé avec celui d’un groupe témoin. Les troubles de l’attachement chez les enfants adoptés se sont améliorés significativement après l’adoption. Les parents adoptifs ont montré un des capacités de réflexion plus sophistiquées et optimistes à propos de leurs enfants et de leur expérience d’éducation. Spanish El contexto de la recuperación emocional se analizó en 30 adoptantes en Rusia y en un grupo de comparación. Los trastornos de apego mejoraron de forma significativa tras la adopción. Los adoptantes mostraron una visión más sofisticada y optimista de sus hijos y de su propia experiencia como padres.

Dominant-language replacement: The case of international adoptees

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
KENNETH HYLTENSTAM ◽  
EMANUEL BYLUND ◽  
NICLAS ABRAHAMSSON ◽  
HYEON-SOOK PARK
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Total Loss ◽  
Theoretical Interpretation ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
L1 Attrition ◽  
The Neural Network ◽  
International Adoptees ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Ultimate Attainment

This article challenges a recent proposal for the theoretical interpretation of L1 and L2 interaction that results from the abrupt change of language environment in internationally adopted children. According to this proposal (Pallier, Dehaene, Poline, LeBihan, Argenti, Depoux and Mehler, 2003; Ventureyra, Pallier and Yoo, 2004), such children experience a total loss of their L1, while, as adults, they exhibit a nativelike ultimate attainment of their L2. These authors suggest that what they see as a total loss of L1 allows a resetting of the neural network that normally subserves L1 retention and hence permits a complete acquisition of the L2. Data from two of our own research projects, one on L1 remnants in Korean adoptees in Sweden (see Park, forthcoming), and the other on age of acquisition and ultimate L2 attainment of Swedish (see Abrahamsson and Hyltenstam, in press), which included data from Latin American adoptees in Sweden among other participants, suggest (i) that L1 remnants are indeed maintained, (ii) that L2 attainment isnotenhanced by severe L1 attrition, and (iii) that there is an age dimension to both the degree of L1 attrition and the level of L2 ultimate attainment in international adoptees. We therefore contend that a maturational interpretation of language replacement data is preferable.

Communication patterns between parents and children: Comparing mothers and fathers in different learner contexts

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1223-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
LARA PIERCE ◽  
FRED GENESEE ◽  
KARINE GAUTHIER ◽  
MARIE-EVE DUBOIS
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Learning Situation ◽  
Birth Parents ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Interaction Styles ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children ◽  
Internationally Adopted

ABSTRACTLanguage use and joint attention (JA) strategies were examined during interactions between francophone mothers and fathers and either their birth children (n = 10) or their internationally adopted children from China (n = 8), once when the children were 15 months old and again at 20 months, on average. Results showed that mothers engaged in more JA episodes and tended to talk more with their children than did fathers; however, this was influenced by the language-learning situation of the child. Specifically, the adoptive parents engaged more with their children than did the birth parents, and the behaviors of the internationally adopted mothers and fathers were more similar to each other than to those of the birth parents, arguably to support their children's unique language-learning situation. However, in contrast to a previous study that examined JA with adoptive mothers, the adoptive fathers’ interaction styles with their children at 15 months were not related to children's vocabularies at 20 months as has been observed for mothers.

scholarly journals Issues Involving International Adoption

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-39
Author(s):  
Brandy Mounts ◽  
Loretta Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Counselor Training ◽  
International Adoption ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Family Counselors ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
New Family ◽  
Potential Child ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children

Challenges in adoptive families are well-documented; however, a lack of empirical research on the preadoption preparation of prospective adoptive parents for these common challenges exists. The purpose of this study was to seek a more thorough understanding of the education and preparation adoptive parents receive regarding potential child issues in international adoption. A qualitative research design was utilized to gain more in-depth knowledge of the international adoption experience that included preadoption education, transitioning into a new family structure, and services utilized. Ten participants, who are parents of internationally adopted children, were recruited for this qualitative study. Three research questions were developed regarding the challenges adoptive parents experience, how preadoption services could be improved, and participants’ perceptions of preadoption training. The following six primary themes were identified: purpose, attachment, challenges experienced, inconsistent preparation, support systems, and families utilizing mental health services. Recommendations for professional practice are presented, including more current and consistent training for prospective adoptive parents as well as recommendations for increasing the numbers of family counselors with adoption expertise and enhancing counselor training to address adoption issues.

Similar psychosis risks in adoptees and immigrants

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-299
Author(s):  
Mary V Seeman
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Psychotic Illness ◽  
Ethnic Density ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Psychosis Risk ◽  
And Coping

Background: There is a consensus that adoptees and immigrants both experience more mental health problems than their peers. The two groups share many risk factors for psychosis, but an increased risk for psychotic illness has only been demonstrated for immigrants. Aims: The aim of this review is to describe psychosis risk factors in adoptees, with a focus on difficulties with identity formation, identification with in-groups, attachment to parents, and coping with loss and with discrimination. Method: The literature in these five areas is reviewed as it pertains to adoption and psychosis. Results: There are no clear findings because the relevant studies have not been done, but the literature suggests that adopted children face challenges very similar to those of immigrants to a new country. Conclusion: The immigration field and the adoption field have much to learn from each other. It is recommended that a prevention strategy analogous to increased neighbourhood ethnic density be implemented with adoptees – that they be intentionally exposed from early childhood and throughout adolescence to age peers who share a similar background and with whom they can readily identify. It is also recommended that immigrants be welcomed into their host country with the same open arms as adoptive parents welcome their new children.

Ghosts in the Adoption: Uncovering Parents' Attachment and Coping History

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-234
Author(s):  
Karen Doyle Buckwalter ◽  
Debbie Reed ◽  
Danielle Mercer
Keyword(s):  
Family System ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adult Attachment Interview ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
History Of ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The Impact

Much has been written about the impact of trauma on adopted children, especially those adopted out of foster care or orphanage care. But what about trauma and/or attachment-related difficulties in the background of adoptive parents? The “state of mind with regard to attachment” (Main & Hesse, 2009) in parents makes a significant difference in parent–child relationships (van IJzendoorn, 1995), but this subject is rarely discussed compared to the trauma in adopted children. In this article, the Adult Attachment Interview (Main, Kaplan, & Cassidy 1985) is used to understand the history of adoptive parents and how it may impact the relationship with their adopted children. In addition to applying it during treatment with the family system, an unexpected benefit is the deepening of the therapeutic alliance with parents who are seeking help for their child as evidenced by clinician feedback.

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