scholarly journals Different Placement Practices for Different Families? Children’s Adjustment in LGH Adoptive Families

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Alexandre Costa ◽  
Fiona Tasker ◽  
Isabel Pereira Leal
Keyword(s):  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Psychosocial Adjustment ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Early Adversity ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Positive Adjustment ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Family Types

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of children placed with lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adopters, and to examine children’s problem behaviors and positive psychosocial adjustment across the three family types.BackgroundThere is evidence that children with hard-to-place profiles may be more likely to be matched with lesbian and gay parents. In addition, children adopted from care face greater developmental difficulties than children raised by their birth families, although adoptive parents may buffer the negative effects of early adversity on their children’s psychosocial adjustment.MethodA final sample of 149 adoptive families from across the United Kingdom was recruited: 71 heterosexual parented, 39 lesbian parented, and 39 gay parented.ResultsThe results showed that gay and lesbian parents were more likely than heterosexual parents to be matched with hard-to-place children, partially because they were more open to being matched with children with hard-to-place profiles. However, no differences among the three family types on children’s psychosocial adjustment were found, when controlling for children’s early adversity.ConclusionAdopted children displayed similar levels of problem behaviors and positive adjustment in lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parented families. Early adversity and having a physical problem/disability accounted for much of the variance in problem behaviors whereas parenting did not. In contrast, it was suggested that parenting processes, namely, parental closeness, may help to explain children’s positive adjustment.

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.

Child–Parent Relationship Therapy for Adoptive Families

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara Carnes-Holt
Keyword(s):  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Child Parent Relationship Therapy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Child Experience ◽  
Relationship Therapy ◽  
Parent Relationship

Adopted children may present with a wide range of disruptive behaviors making it difficult to implement holistic therapeutic interventions. The number of primary caregivers, disrupted placements, and repeated traumatic events contribute to the overall mental health of the adoptee and greater number of occurrences increases the risk of maladjustment. Adoptive parents are faced with the challenge of developing a relationship and helping the child experience that relationships can be safe and trusting. Child–parent relationship therapy (CPRT) is a structured, time-limited approach that trains caregivers to be an active participant as a therapeutic change agent in their child’s life. CPRT therapy offers an empowering treatment modality for families striving to feel connected and secure.

scholarly journals “I’m More Than Just Adopted”: Stories of Genealogy in Intercountry Adoptive Families

Genealogy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Sarah Richards
Keyword(s):  
Hague Convention ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Intercountry Adoption ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Family Work ◽  
Birth Country ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Birth Family

In contrast to the historical ‘blank slate’ approach to adoption, current policy places significant emphasis on providing children with knowledge; family history; biological connections; stories, a genealogy upon which to establish an authentic identity. The imperative for this complex, and often incomplete, genealogy is also explicit within the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption established in 1993 to ensure that intercountry adopted children will be provided with a genealogical ‘heritage’. Yet, despite the recurring dominance of this approach, ‘heritage’ remains an ambiguous dictum which holds the expectation that adopted children should have access to any available birth/first family information and acquire cultural competence about an often distant and removed birth country. Providing such heritage becomes the responsibility of intercountry adoptive parents. It is therefore unsurprising that this role has become part of how intercountry adoptive parents perform and display their parenting and family practices before and after adoption (Richards 2014a; 2018). Such family work is explicit in the stories that parents and children coconstruct about birth family, abandonment, China, and the rights of adopted children to belong first and foremost to a birth country. Using qualitative data provided by a social worker, eleven girls aged between five and twelve, and their parents, this article explores the role and changing significance of narratives as familial strategies for delivering such heritage obligations. Outlined in this discussion is the compulsion to provide a genealogical heritage by adoptive parents which can ultimately be resisted by their daughters as they seek alternative and changing narratives through which to construct their belongings and identities.

When Love is Not Enough: Parenting an Adopted Child with Mental Illness

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele D. Hanna ◽  
Erin Boyce ◽  
Diane Mulligan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Residential Treatment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Treatment Center ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adopted Child ◽  
Adoptive Families

This article presents the results of a qualitative study designed to explore the experiences of adoptive parents who placed an adopted child with mental illness in a residential treatment center (RTC). Twenty-four adoptive families from across the United States who placed an adopted child in residential treatment were interviewed. The adopted children represented various types of adoption including public child welfare, domestic infant, and intercountry adoption. Parents reported feeling victimized by their child and by the very systems designed to help them, including child welfare, mental health, health care, and education. The findings reveal signs of trauma in the adoptive parents as a result of their experiences. The article concludes with recommendations from adoptive parents for adoption, mental health, and residential treatment professionals who work with adopted children and their families.

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.

scholarly journals PREOCUPAÇÕES PARENTAIS DE PAIS ADOTIVOS

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 259
Author(s):  
Ana Jorge ◽  
Lucas C ◽  
Fernanda Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
School Problems ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Parental Concerns ◽  
Adoptive Parenthood ◽  
E Mail

Abstract:Knowing the families in its multiple aspects is an intrinsic task of nursing care. It is essential listen to parents and define the changes to be implemented from what is felt by them as a complaint or restlessness. The concern for their children manifests itself usually through a complaint or concerns about the child. Adoptive parenthood is a different way to access parenting and being a mother or adoptive father brings other challenges and some more specific problems. This study aims to identify the parental concerns of adoptive parents and to identify which characteristics of these parents and adoption process can be associated with it. A descriptive cross-sectional study was developed. Data were collected from a snowball sample comprised of 18 adoptive families: 2 single adoptions and 16 joint adoptions or per couple, through a questionnaire that was sent by e - mail, which the Parental Concerns Scale (Algarvio and Leal, 2004), was part of. Based on the data found that the greatest concern of these parents are situated at the level of school problems and family concern , expressed on the concern if the child has what’s need in school and if the teacher understands the child. These concerns are observed with parents aged between 35 and 39 years old, who had adopted children who are currently in school age and without special needs. It is allied to these features that the adoption has been motivated by the desire to increase family integrated into a life project.Key-words: Adoption, adoptive parents, parental concerns. Resumo:Conhecer as famílias nas suas múltiplas vertentes é uma tarefa intrínseca à prestação de cuidados de enfermagem. É fundamental ouvir os pais e definir as mudanças a implementar a partir  daquilo que é sentido pelos mesmos como queixa ou inquietação. Esta preocupação relativamente aos seus filhos manifesta-se, habitualmente, através de uma queixa ou inquietação a respeito da criança. Sendo a parentalidade adotiva uma forma diferente de aceder à parentalidade, ser mãe ou pai adotivo traz outros desafios e alguns problemas mais específicos. Este estudo pretende identificar as preocupações parentais dos pais adotivos e identificar quais as características desses pais e do processo de adoção que se lhe associa. Foi desenvolvido um estudo descritivo e transversal. Os dados foram colhidos junto de uma amostra em bola de neve composta por 18 famílias adotivas: 2 adoções singulares e 16 adoções conjuntas ou por casal, através de um questionário enviado por e-mail, do qual fazia parte a escala de preocupações parentais de Algarvio e Leal (2004). Com base nos dados obtidos verificámos que a maior preocupação destes pais se situa ao nível das preocupações escolares e problemas familiares, manifestada na preocupação se a criança tem o que precisa na escola e se a professora entende a criança. A estas preocupações observam-se em pais com idades entre os 35 e os 39 anos, que adotaram crianças que estão atualmente em idade escolar e sem necessidades especiais. Alia-se a estas características o facto de a adoção ter sido motivada pelo desejo de aumentar a família integrado num projeto de vida.Palavras-chave: adoção, pais adotivos, preocupações parentais. 

Relational–Cultural Theory: A Supportive Framework for Transracial Adoptive Families

2021 ◽  
pp. 106648072110289
Author(s):  
Susan F. Branco
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Cultural Theory ◽  
School Mental Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Relational Cultural Theory ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Family Counselors

Transracially adopted children and adolescents are subject to increased risks to their mental health and identity development as a result of racism and microaggressions. The risks are exacerbated by limited racial–ethnic socialization from their mostly White adoptive parents. This article reviews the history of transracial adoption in the United States through the lens of colonization, describes research related to racism and its impact on transracially adopted children, and recommends relational–cultural theory as a supportive framework for school, mental health, and family counselors.

scholarly journals Birth Sibling Relationships after Adoption: Experiences of Contact with Brothers and Sisters Living Elsewhere

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Meakings ◽  
Amy L Paine ◽  
Katherine H Shelton
Keyword(s):  
Sibling Relationships ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Story Work ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Abstract We examined how adoptive families manage and respond to contact with children’s birth siblings living elsewhere within a nationally representative sample of 96 families who adopted a child between 01 July 2014 and 31 July 2015. We harnessed prospective, longitudinal data to determine the extent to which plans for contact between adopted children and birth siblings living elsewhere materialised over time. We present adoptive parents’ views and experiences of the contact over four years, together with an analysis of factors that were thought to have prevented, hindered and/or enabled contact between adopted children and their birth siblings. The information shared by the adoptive families illustrates the challenges they faced in promoting sibling contact; in weighing up the complexities associated with managing contact in the short term against the anticipated benefit for their child in the longer term; of balancing a commitment to sibling contact with the psychological needs of their child; and of organising contact within the context of interactions with other families involved and social work professionals. On the basis of these findings, we make recommendations pertaining to the management of both letterbox and face-to-face contact and life story work, and underscore the importance of investing in sibling relationships.

scholarly journals Qualitative exploration of lesbian parents’ experiences of accessing healthcare for their adopted children in England

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e053710
Author(s):  
Lucille Kelsall-Knight
Keyword(s):  
Critical Incident ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Critical Event ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Event Analysis ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Lesbian Parents ◽  
Healthcare Settings

ObjectiveTo explore the experiences of lesbian parents accessing healthcare for their adopted children in England.DesignA qualitative inductive design, using narrative inquiry with a critical incident recall interview approach. Interviews were analysed using merged tools of critical event analysis and broadening, burrowing, storying and restorying.SettingParticipants were recruited from a British lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender fostering and adoption charity.ParticipantsSix lesbian adoptive parents with experience of accessing healthcare for their adopted children in England.ResultsFollowing data analysis, five themes were identified: navigating heteronormativity, navigating healthcare settings and professionals and having an ‘adopted’ status, intersectional identity of lesbian-parented adoptive families accessing healthcare, reflective imagery of lesbian parents and adoptive families and professional expectations. Self-imposed strategies instigated by the parents to strengthen and protect their familial identities were also discovered.ConclusionsThe needs and challenges of lesbian adoptive families may be different to those of heterosexual and biological families when accessing healthcare. There was an undercurrent of discriminatory practice, shown by various healthcare professionals, and a lack of understanding of the adoption process, knowledge surrounding the child’s history and legal stance with regards to parental responsibility. Further training is needed for healthcare professionals.

FAMILIAS ADOPTIVAS DURANTE LA PANDEMIA: REFLEXIONES PRELIMINARES EN TORNO AL VÍNCULO FAMILIAR

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (49) ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
maría inés Castro V ◽  
Carolina Correa ◽  
Valentina iaCobelli ◽  
alejandra martinez ◽  
jimena Vlastelica ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Experience ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Parental Role ◽  
Adoptive Families

In this article we will reflect on the possible implications that the pandemic and lockdown has brought upon adoptive families. Some adoptive parents have taken this time as an opportunity to meet and strengthen their bond with their children, others have perceived it as a learning experience. However, for many it has meant an increase of stress that interferes with their parental role. We reflect on the aspects that enhance a secure and protective bond in adoptive families, in which parents welcome their children and their emotions. Adoptive parents who are open to reflect on their own histories and their children’s, are emotionally more available to face the difficulties that life during the pandemic brings.

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