Parents And Parents With Adoptees And Their Families

Adoption did not emerge as the preferred system of child care in the early nineteenth century because elite families with whom the children were placed often treated them as servants rather than family members. Most significantly, Porter finds that rather than the happy, successful adoption outcomes often portrayed by those favoring adoption, 20 percent of adopted children had negative family experiences. (Carp 3-4)

Foster Care and Adoption are the most multi-faceted areas of child welfare. Foster care consists of placing children outside of the custody of their parents or legal guardians. This out-of-home placement can be temporary or long-term. Adoption on the other hand, consists of the legal and permanent process that establishes a parent/child relationship between individuals not related biologically (Downs, Moore, & McFadden, 2009). These two areas of child welfare are constantly evolving and the decisions made on a child’s behalf can affect many areas of their biological, spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing.

Until recently, there has been little attention given to basic issues regarding siblings in out-of-home care (McCormick, 2010, p.198). There are many reasons as to why this should be important to child welfare researchers and policy makers. “Sibling relationships are an integral part of childhood and continued development and these sibling relationships can serve as a source of protection and healing throughout their journey in out of home care” (Cicirelli, 1995).

In this research they took out a longitudinal study. They studied 65 children which were placed in an institution when less than four months, which had all experienced early privation. By 4 years old, 24 children had been adopted, 15 returned to their natural homes and the rest remained in the institution. It was found that the adopted children had closer attachments to their parents and had good family relationships and this was not the case for the ‘restored’ children.

Around the age of two to six activity, nonstop questions, and fears. Throughout adolescents’ lifetime they will experience separation and identity formation. Finally, at adolescence the questions will come, who am I and where am I going. The hope of the research on this topic is to better understand the stages and effects of attachment in adopted children and the need to develop better solutions to each stage and effect. Do you think that the age of a child at the time of adoption affects their ability to bond? Do male children attach easier to the caregiver than female children? Does culture have an effect on a child’s ability to bond? Does a child of a particularly race have a more difficult time bonding with parents of a race other than there own? By examining this particular topic of Attachment in Adopt Children it will hopefully open up a better understand of some of the particular disorders and stages the children at any age during and after adoption go though. It will help caregivers and family have a better in site as to what the child might be going

Adoptive Families are special; they have a desire to grow their families by reaching out to children that need homes. These families face many unique challenges, but also receive many rewards, associated with the decision to adopt. These challenges continue for many families, through the process of adoption, legal finalization, and for many years post-adoption. The challenges are different in many ways from those faced by biological parents. Adoptive parents not only face the normal challenges faced from raising a child, but also the psychological issues of the child/ren adopted. Some children placed for adoption have social, psychological, or physical problems that many adoptive families may not be able to address. Previous research has shown an association between post adoption services and successful adoptive placements. “Post adoption services often respond to the effects that separation, loss, and trauma can have on children and youth who have been adopted. They can facilitate adjustment processes; promote child, youth, and family well-being; and support family preservation” (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2012). It is because of these issues, and many others, that placement agency must consider when providing wrap around services for families.

The affects that adoption plays on the development of an individual are somewhat difficult to gage. Researchers tend to agree that is indeed does play a role on the development of a person. Children who are adopted very early in their lives tend to have a better outcome on their life than a child who is adopted at an older age. There is a study in which shows that the later the adoption took place, the more trouble the person seemed to have. Research has also shown that that adopted children and adolescents had more psychological problems and trouble in school. A large study also found adopted people was more likely to have a learning disability (Santrock, 2009). Not all the research about adopted children is negative however. One study shows that adopted individuals tended to be more altruistic, caring, and supportive of others (Santrock, 2009).

Thesis: Transracial adoptees family situation affects many aspects of the adopted child’s life. Do these children have identity formation difficulties during adolescence and are there any significant differences between adoptees and birth children?

The second corner of the triangle, the adoptee, had very different affects from the adoption. Each adoptee found out a different way and had different feelings about learning they were adopted. While some adjusted and accepted the news as to never give it another thought, there are many that did not. According to The Encyclopedia of Adoption, “Most adults who were adopted as children appear to have successfully resolved any conflicts stemming from their adoption” (Adamec, C. & Miller, L. 2007, p. 30). Having been adopted and knowing many adoptees, I must

This has caused me to want to further research the issue. What are the social and emotional effects that adoption has on children?

In the last four decades, the concept of the American family has undergone a radical transformation, reflecting society¡¯s growing openness. Among all segments of society, there is a greater acceptance of a variety of family structures ¨C from single parenting to blended families to same sex parenting of children. The introduction of openness into the process of adoption offers new opportunities for children in need of a parent or parents and prospective parents wishing to create or expand their families. Meeting the requirements to become eligible to adopt no longer means being constrained by the conventions of an earlier generation.

What gaps are in the literature. Based on brief review of parentification literature, there is not sufficient literature on adult outcomes specifically in the general population as the studies conducted have been done with college samples. Also, there has been a lack of documented research on the effects of culture of origin on adult outcomes. Studies have been carried out to explore the role of race on parentification using university/college samples but not on the general population. Consequently, this research is intended to offer insight on how an individual’s experience of assuming an adult role and taking care of sibling/s, parent/s, and other family members during adolescence can impact their psychological wellbeing in adulthood using a sample from the general population and to compare the differential effects of parentification across cultures.

The impact of parent-child relationship, marital conflicts and the nurturance environment on child development has been a focus of literature since a considerable time period. Recently, researchers have concentrated on the role of sibling relationship quality on the overall development of an individual (Brody, 1994). This area is studied by examining a number of factors such as sibling warmth and conflict, the number, age and gender of siblings, personality of individuals along with the role of parents and several other facets. The findings are inconsistent and there are a number of variables which are seen to affect the behavior and the development of an individual.

Adopting a child is an experience that promises to bring great joy as it changes a couple or individual’s life forever. Adoption enables the lives of many children to be transformed; it offers children, who are orphaned, abandoned, neglected, abused, or unwanted a chance to live in a stable, loving environment. The adoptive parent-child union is commonly looked at as sanctified because the adoptive parents provide a needy infant with love, a home, and nurture. Adopted children have the potential to become blessed, healthy, and productive members of loving families and being a member of a caring family can help them to become responsible and compassionate adults capable of making positive contributions to their world while raising happy and

Sibling experiences can be diverse depending on the culture, values within the specific family, and the society that they live in. “Sibling Relationships in Cross Cultural Perspective” published in the Journal of Marriage & Family, breaks down the different culture meanings of the word “sibling” and sibling roles into industrial and non-industrial societies (Cicirelli, 1994). In industrial societies, such as the U.S., declaration of a sibling can be seen as discretionary, with the greater society only considering true siblings as those who are biologically or legally declared (Cicirelli, 1994). Adopted siblings, foster, half, or step siblings are only recognized as “siblings”