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PubMed2002

The knowledge, attitude and practice of child adoption among infertile Nigerian women.

To determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of child adoption among infertile Nigerian women we undertook a questionnaire survey of 279 consecutive infertile women seen in three tertiary care centres in South Eastern Nigeria within a 9-month period. The data were analysed by means of simple percentages and descriptive and inferential statistics, using t-tests, chi-square tests and regression equations at the 95% confidence level. Two hundred and sixty-four questionnaires were analysed. Although 228 (86.4%) of the respondents were aware of child adoption, only 72 (27.3%) knew its correct meaning. Fifty-seven (21.6%) women knew how to adopt a baby while the rest did not; 183 (69.3%) respondents expressed their unwillingness to adopt a baby while the remaining 81 (30.7%) were willing. Twelve (14.8%) of these 81 respondents (or 4.5% of all respondents) had either adopted or made an effort to adopt a child at the time of the study. The major reasons given by the 183 respondents unwilling to adopt a child were: adoption not a solution to their infertility (84 respondents); adoption psychologically unacceptable (78 respondents); fear of unknown parental background (75 respondents) and abnormal behaviour in the child (75 respondents). Univariate analysis showed six factors significantly associated with a favourable attitude to child adoption: a correct knowledge of the meaning of adoption (P=0.00007), duration of infertility >5 years (P=0.0002), previous orthodox specialist treatment (P=0.0002), tubal infertility (P=0.002), no living child (P=0.02) and maternal age >35 years (P=0.03). In a multiple logistic regression involving these six factors, with attitude to adoption as the dependent variable, two factors were associated significantly with a favourable attitude to adoption: correct knowledge of the meaning of adoption (OR=1.9, P=0.04) and previous orthodox specialist treatment (OR=2.9, P=0.05). Although the majority of infertile Nigerian women have heard of child adoption, only a minority knew its real meaning, its legality and the process it entails. Approximately one-third of them were disposed favourably to adoption as a treatment option for their infertility. The Nigerian experience was compared and contrasted with the experiences of other countries. Factors associated with a favourable attitude to adoption were presented and discussed. In the presence of such factors, especially when the probability of cure of infertility is small, child adoption as a treatment option should be offered early so that willing couples can initiate the processes.

Adoption↗
PubMed2006

Barriers to ambulatory EHR: who are 'imminent adopters' and how do they differ from other physicians?

OBJECTIVE: Despite existing knowledge regarding electronic health record (EHR) barriers in the ambulatory setting, little is known, specifically, about physicians who are likely to adopt EHR imminently. The current study identifies these imminent adopters and compares their barriers to other physicians. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS: Mail survey of Florida physicians (n = 14,921) about barriers to EHR and adoption intentions. The survey asked respondents to classify themselves as planning to adopt an EHR system within one year (herein referred to as 'imminent adopters'), as planning to adopt an EHR system but not within one year ('interested adopters'), and as not considering an EHR system. Chi-square analysis and logistic regression models were used to identify trends among imminent adopters and to compare barriers among respondents in each of the adoption categories above. RESULTS: A total of 4203 returned surveys represented a 28.2% response rate. Imminent adopters were significantly less likely to be in solo practice (19.6% vs. 40.0%,P < 0.001) and more likely to be in an urban area (P = 0.044) or in a multi-specialty practice (P = 0.023). Imminent adopters were also more likely to be practising family medicine (P = 0.014) or obstetrics/gynaecology (P = 0.038). When compared with their colleagues, imminent adopters perceived EHR barriers very differently. For example, imminent adopters were significantly less likely to consider upfront cost of hardware/software [OR = 0.35 (0.30, 0.45)] or that an inadequate return on investment [OR = 0.25 (0.19, 0.34)] was a major barrier to EHR. Moreover, imminent adopters differed from their colleagues with respect to numerous other productivity-related and technical-related barriers. CONCLUSION: Policy and decision makers interested in promoting the adoption of EHR among physicians should focus on the needs and barriers of those most likely to adopt EHR. Given that imminent adopters differ considerably from their peers, current EHR incentive programmes that focus on financial barriers only might prove sub-optimal in achieving immediate widespread EHR adoption.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Psychiatric disorders in adopted children: a profile from the Ontario Child Health Study.

Studies of clinical populations suggest that adopted children are overrepresented among children using mental health facilities, whereas studies using non clinical populations of adopted children have reached mixed conclusions about whether or not there is an increased psychological risk associated with adoption. Data from the Ontario Child Health Study, a community survey of children aged four to 16 years, which included a subpopulation of adopted children, were used to: 1. profile the characteristics of adoptive families; 2. examine the strength of adoptive status as a marker for psychiatric and educational morbidity; and 3. determine the extent to which adoptive status has an independent relationship with psychiatric and educational morbidities. The findings were: 1. adoptive mothers were significantly older than non adoptive mothers, but otherwise adoptive families did not differ significantly from non adoptive families, 2. adoption in boys, but not in girls, was a significant marker for psychiatric disorder and poor school performance; adoption in adolescent girls was a significant marker for substance use; and 3. multivariate analyses demonstrated no independent effect of adoption on psychiatric disorder or poor school performance; for adolescents, adoptive status did have an independent relationship with substance use for girls. The implications of these findings will be discussed.

Achievement↗
PubMed2001

Adoption as a risk factor for attempted suicide during adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: Depression, impulsivity, and aggression during adolescence have been associated with both adoption and suicidal behavior. Studies of adopted adults suggest that impulsivity, even more than depression, may be an inherited factor that mediates suicidal behavior. However, the association between adoption and adolescent suicide attempts and the mechanisms that might explain it remain unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the following: 1) whether suicide attempts are more common among adolescents who live with adoptive parents rather than biological parents; 2) whether the association is mediated by impulsivity, and 3) whether family connectedness decreases the risk of suicide attempt regardless of adoptive or biological status. METHODS: A secondary analysis of Wave I data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health was conducted, which used a school-based, clustered sampling design to identify a nationally representative sample of 7th- to 12th-grade students, with oversampling of underrepresented groups. Of the 90 118 adolescents who completed the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health in-school survey, 17 125 completed the in-home interview and had parents of identified gender who completed separate in-home questionnaire. The subset of adolescents for this study was drawn from the in-home sampling according to the following criteria: 1) adolescent living with adoptive or biological mother at the time of the interview, 2) adolescent had never been separated from mother for more than 6 months, 3) mother was in first marriage at the time of the interview, and 4) the adoptive mother had never been married to the adolescent's biological father. Of the 6577 adolescents in the final study sample, 214 (3.3%) were living with adoptive mothers and 6363 (96.7%) were living with biological mothers. Variables. The primary outcome measured was adolescent report of suicide attempt(s) in the past year. Other variables included in the analyses were sociodemographics characteristics (gender, age, race/ethnicity, family income, parental education), general health (self-rated health, routine examination in the past year, need for medical care in the past year that was not obtained), mental health (depressive symptoms, self-image, trouble relaxing in the past year, bad temper, psychological or emotional counseling in the past year), risk behaviors (cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, sexual intercourse ever, delinquency, physical fighting in the past year, impulsive decision making), school-related characteristics (grade point average, school connectedness), and family interaction (family connectedness, parental presence, maternal satisfaction with parent-adolescent relationship). Data Analysis. Univariate analyses were used to compare adoptees versus nonadoptees, suicide attempters versus nonsuicide attempters, and adopted suicide attempters versus nonadopted suicide attempters on all variables. Variables that were associated with attempted suicide were entered into a forward stepwise logistic regression procedure, and variables that were associated with the log odds of attempt were retained in the model. The area under the model's receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated as a measure of its overall performance. After the association of adoption with attempted suicide was demonstrated, the potential mediating effect of impulsivity was explored by adding it to the model. The same procedure was followed for any variable that was associated with adoption in the full sample or the subsample of suicide attempters. To determine whether any variable in the model moderated the association between adoption and suicide attempt, the interaction term for that variable x adoption was forced into the model. RESULTS: Adoptees differed significantly from nonadoptees on 4 of 26 variables. They were more likely to have attempted suicide (7.6% vs 3.1%) and to have received psychological or emotional counseling in the past year (16.9% vs 8.2%), and their mothers reported higher parental education and family income. Attempters differed significantly from nonattempters on all variables except for age, race/ethnicity, parental education, family income, and routine examination in the past year. On logistic regression, 9 variables were independently associated with attempted suicide: depression (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.41), counseling (AOR: 2.83), female gender (AOR: 2.31), cigarette use (AOR: 2.31), delinquency (AOR: 2.17), adoption (AOR: 1.98), low self-image (AOR: 1.78), aggression (AOR: 1.48), and high family connectedness (AOR: 0.60). The receiver operating characteristic curve for the model had an area of 0.834, indicating performance significantly better than chance. The AOR for adoption did not change when parental education, family income, and impulsivity were forced into the model. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Achievement↗
PubMed2005

Health of children adopted from Guatemala: comparison of orphanage and foster care.

OBJECTIVE: Since 1986, American parents have adopted >17300 children from Guatemala. This study assessed the health, growth, and developmental status of 103 Guatemalan adopted children (48 girls; 55 boys) after arrival in the United States. Physical evidence suggestive of prenatal alcohol exposure and adequacy of vaccinations administered were also reviewed. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was conducted of 103 children who were evaluated after arrival in the United States in an international adoption specialty clinic, and a case-matched study was conducted of a subgroup of 50 children who resided in either an orphanage or foster care before adoption. Mean age at arrival was 16 +/- 19 months. Before adoption, 25 children resided in orphanages, 56 resided in foster care, and 22 resided in mixed-care settings. The 25 children who had resided in orphanages before adoption were matched for age at arrival, interval from arrival to clinic visit, and gender with a child adopted from foster care. Health and developmental status of these matched pairs were compared, allowing the first direct comparison of children raised in orphanages or foster care before adoption. RESULTS: Mild growth delays were frequent among the children. Mean z scores for weight, height, and head circumference were, respectively, -1.00, -1.04, and -1.08. Children from foster care had significantly better z scores for height, weight, and head circumference than those from orphanage or mixed care. Among children who were younger than 2 years at arrival, growth measurements correlated inversely with age at arrival. Infectious diseases included intestinal parasites (8%) and latent tuberculosis infection (7%). Other medical conditions included anemia (30%), elevated lead levels (3%), and (using strict criteria) phenotypic facial features suggestive of prenatal alcohol exposure (28%). Adequacy of vaccine records from Guatemala was assessed: 28% met American Academy of Pediatrics standards for vaccine administration. Unsuspected significant medical diagnoses, including congenital anomalies and ocular, neurologic, and orthopedic problems, were found in 14%. Most children were doing well developmentally (80-92% of expected performance), but 14% had global developmental delays. Cognition, expressive and receptive language, and activities of daily living skills correlated inversely with age at arrival for children who were younger than 2 years at adoption. Among the 50 matched children, those who resided in foster care before adoption had better measurements for height, weight, and head circumference at arrival to the United States. Moreover, those who resided in foster care scored significantly better for cognitive skills than those who had previously resided in orphanages (96.3% of age-expected compared with 88.3% of age-expected); other skills did not differ between the 2 groups. No differences were found between the 2 groups of children related to prevalence of medical diagnoses or phenotypic evidence suggesting prenatal alcohol exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Guatemalan adoptees display similar overall patterns of growth and developmental delays as seen in other groups of internationally adopted children, although not as severe. Younger children had better growth and development (cognition, language, and activities of daily living skills) than older children, regardless of location of residence before adoption. Among children who were matched for age, gender, and interval from adoption to evaluation, those who had resided in foster care had better growth and cognitive scores than children who had resided in orphanages before adoption. These findings support the need for timely adoptive placement of young infants and support the placement of children in attentive foster care rather than orphanages when feasible.

Adoption↗
PubMed1995

[Reflections on international adoption].

In paediatric psychiatry, we often encounter French families who have chosen for international adoption of foreign children. From our clinical cases and a review of the literature, we have cited several circumstances which can lead to separation following adoption, either due to a rejection of the adopted by the adopting family or vica-versa: cases in which the adopted children are older or even young adolescents, simultaneous adoption of more than one child, adoption of psychologically disturbed children with a history of neglect or abuse by a previous guardian, cases in which the adopting parents are inadequately prepared due to international adoption procedures allowing the rapid accession of the adoption and cases with a poor understanding of the adoption legislation on the part of the biological parents or the child being adopted. These risque factors, relatively specific to international adoption, can in isolation or by a combination of factors lead to failure in the adoption. Subsequent separation after adoption often leads to institutionalization and further rejection.

Adoption↗
PubMed2000

[Precocious puberty in children adopted from foreign countries].

AIMS: Precocious puberty has been more frequently observed in the population of children adopted from abroad. A study was therefore carried out to assess the prevalence of this early onset of puberty. POPULATION AND METHODS: In this study, 13 cases of precocious puberty have been examined in ten adopted girls and three adopted boys, and the clinical characteristics and other contributing factors have been described. In this study group, three of the cases were familial. In addition, a questionnaire was also completed by 99 French families with children adopted from abroad, and analyzed to determine the frequency of early pubertal development. The parameters included were age, weight and height at the time of adoption, date of onset of puberty, for the girls age at first menstruation, and current height and weight. RESULTS: It was determined that the 13 children had a very high growth recovery rate from the time that they arrived in France. For the period from time of adoption to the onset of puberty, mean height increased from -1.3 to +1.5 standard deviation score (SDS) and the mean weight-for-height factor increased from +1.2 to 1.9 SDS. The weight-height recovery rate following adoption seems to be the direct cause of early pubertal development in certain children, notably in those with a particularly rapid growth rate (between 6 years 6 months and 8 years 9 months for the girls, and between 8 and 10 years for the boys). In children adopted at an early age, a 'biological memory' seems to exist regarding the renutrition phenomenon which was instrumental in accelerating the onset of puberty some years after adoption. An analysis of the survey on the adoptive families showed that the frequency of precocious puberty was 44.9% in the group of 49 girls compared to only 8.6% in the group of 35 adopted boys, and that it mainly concerned children from Africa (57%), followed by those from South and Central America (57%), Asia (45%), and Eastern Europe (29%). CONCLUSION: A higher rate of precocious puberty was found in the adopted girls, with a significantly lower rate in the adopted boys. The etiological factors involved seemed to be mainly nutritional, and influenced by leptin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) levels. The role of the latter and their interaction with other factors, particularly the ethnic aspect, remains to be determined via the study of a larger series of adopted children.

Adoption↗
PubMed2006

The Emanuel Miller Memorial Lecture 2006: adoption as intervention. Meta-analytic evidence for massive catch-up and plasticity in physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development.

BACKGROUND: Adopted children have been said to be difficult children, scarred by their past experiences in maltreating families or neglecting orphanages, or by genetic or pre- and perinatal problems. Is (domestic or international) adoption an effective intervention in the developmental domains of physical growth, attachment security, cognitive development and school achievement, self-esteem, and behaviour problems? METHOD: Through a series of meta-analyses on more than 270 studies that include more than 230,000 adopted and non-adopted children and their parents an adoption catch-up model was tested. RESULTS: Although catch-up with current peers was incomplete in some developmental domains (in particular, physical growth and attachment), adopted children largely outperformed their peers left behind. Adoptions before 12 months of age were associated with more complete catch-up than later adoptions for height, attachment, and school achievement. International adoptions did not lead to lower rates of catch-up than domestic adoptions in most developmental domains. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that adoption is an effective intervention leading to massive catch-up. Domestic and international adoptions can be justified on ethical grounds if no other solutions are available. Humans are adapted to adopt, and adoption demonstrates the plasticity of child development.

Achievement↗
PubMed1982

Private adoption.

During an 18-month period 219 couples and 3 single women were counseled concerning private, non-agency adoption. Ninety-seven clients adopted privately a total of 105 babies. Thirty-one other couples are still actively pursuing adoption, 39 are no longer pursuing adoption, 13 became pregnant, 9 adopted through an agency, and 33 were lost to follow-up. One hundred of the 105 adopted babies were placed with the family directly from the hospital at 2 to 3 days of age. The majority of the adopting parents had a baby in their home within 4 months of the time they actively began trying to adopt. Four babies were reclaimed by the biologic mother before the adoption was finalized in court, but three of the couples that lost their babies adopted again. The average cost of a private adoption in this series was $3300. Private adoption is an important alternative to agency adoption.

Adoption↗
PubMed2002

Adoption and hospital admission in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

We report a study of adopted children admitted to the children's wards of Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea over a 5-month period in 2000. The proportion of hospitalized children known to be adopted was almost three times that in the children's outpatients department. Gastroenteritis and neonatal sepsis were more common causes of admission in adopted children than in the general paediatric hospital population. Admitted adopted children were lighter and shorter than the controls with no difference in weight-for-height, suggesting that stunting is the predominant nutritional problem among adopted children. These differences were even more marked in children with diagnoses other than gastroenteritis. Thirty-three (82.5 per cent) of the adopted children had ever been bottle fed compared with 11 (13.75 per cent) of the controls (p = 0.029). Twelve (30 per cent) children had been adopted because of neglect or abandonment. The biological mothers of seven of these children had died, and two children had been bought for cash. Biological mothers were more likely than the adoptive or control mothers to be single and less than 20 years of age. Knowledge of formal adoption procedures was very poor. The present study therefore shows that adoption in Papua New Guinea is not without risk and it is important that adoption should be recognized as having the potential for serious adverse effects on the child's well-being, especially since adoption is likely to become even more prevalent as the HIV epidemic continues. Consideration needs to be given to protection of the rights of children at high risk of adoption.

Adoption↗
PubMed2000

Adoption of chicks and the level of relatedness in common gull, Larus canus, colonies: DNA fingerprinting analyses.

In common gull colonies on islands of the Vistula River, Poland, adoption of chicks is common. In 1997, we observed 81 chicks from 35 nests. Of these, 19 (23.4%) left their natal broods and were adopted by other pairs. Another 11 (31.4%) were driven from the foreign territory by the owners. Foreign chicks were adopted by 15 pairs (42.9%). Eleven pairs (31.4%) drove foreign chicks from the territory. To test if the frequent adoptions in these colonies could be explained by kin selection or the occurrence of kin groups, we calculated band-sharing coefficients and genetic relatedness (r) between interacting birds (neighbours and non-neighbours). Adults that adopted were most often neighbours of the biological parents of adopted chicks, whereas spatially segregated birds, nesting further away, usually drove off the chicks. Band-sharing coefficients between males, but not females, were higher with decreasing internest distances. The band-sharing coefficients for adopted chicks and foster parents were significantly higher than for adopted chicks and randomly selected, spatially segregated pairs from the same and another colony. Band-sharing coefficients of adopted chicks and adopting neighbours (males: r=0.20; females: r=0.16) also tended to be higher than those of rejected chicks and rejecting neighbours (both sexes: r=0.08). Our results suggest that kin groups of neighbours do occur in common gull colonies. Such social structure might lead to indirect inclusive fitness benefits of adopting pairs. Differences in genetic similarity between chicks and adopting or rejecting neighbours show that at least in common gulls we should consider kin altruism as a factor in adoptions. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

The decision to adopt evidence-based and other innovative mental health practices: risky business?

OBJECTIVE: A risk-based decision-making framework was used to examine the decision to adopt innovative mental health practices, including both evidence-based and other research-guided practices. METHODS: Seventy-eight projects involving decisions to adopt one of four innovative mental health practices were the focus of this study. Key informants with direct knowledge about the adoption decision provided data for hypothesis testing. RESULTS: As predicted, the propensity to adopt an innovative practice-as measured by decision stage-was negatively related to the perceived risk of adopting the practice, positively related to expected capacity to manage risk, and positively related to an organization's past propensity to take risks. Further, perceived risk, anticipated resource availability, and exposure to field-based evidence explained a substantial part of what differentiated adopters from nonadopters. Finally, several features of innovations known to influence innovation adoption decisions were found to be related in expected ways to perceived risk, capacity to manage risk, and risk propensity. CONCLUSIONS: This research supports the view that the decision to adopt an innovative mental health practice is a decision made in consideration of risk. Contrary to popular views that early adopters of innovations are willing to take enormous risks, these data offer the novel idea that early adopters act because they see the risks associated with adopting as lower than their nonadopter counterparts, partly because the risks are seen as more manageable. Implications of results are discussed for organizations considering adoption of innovative health care practices and for state or local mental health authorities hoping for a higher level of adoption in their areas.

Decision Making↗
PubMed2002

Companion animal adoption study.

To better understand the outcomes of companion animal adoptions, Bardsley & Neidhart Inc. conducted a series of 3 surveys over a 1-year period with dog and cat owners who had adopted their pet through either a (a) Luv-A-Pet location, (b) Adopt-a-thon, or (c) traditional shelter. This article suggests opportunities to improve owners' perceptions of their pets and the adoption process through (a) providing more information before adoption about pet health and behaviors, (b) providing counseling to potential adopters to place pets appropriately, and (c) educating adopters to promote companion animal health and retention. Results demonstrate that the pet's relationship to the family unit, such as where the pet sleeps and how much time is spent with the pet, is related to the amount of veterinary care the companion animal receives, and to long-term retention. Satisfaction and retention are attributed to the pet's personality, compatibility, and behavior, rather than demographic differences among adopters or between adoption settings. The age of the companion animal at adoption, the intended recipient, and presence of children in the home also play a role. Health problems were an issue initially for half of all adopted pets, but most were resolved within 12 months. Roughly one fourth of adopters who no longer have their companion animal said their pet died. Characteristics of pets that died support the contention that spaying and neutering profoundly affects a companion animal's life span. Although retention is similar for dogs and cats, mortality is higher among cats in the first year after adoption.

Animal Welfare↗
PubMed1988

Adoption Act 1988 (No. 41 of 1988), 10 November 1988.

This Act amends and consolidates the law relating to adoption in Tasmania. It contains provisions relating to approved adoption agencies, qualifications of persons to be adopted and persons adopting, adoption procedures, consent requirements, the care of children pending adoption, guardianship of children, the adoption of noncitizen children, the making of adoption orders, the recognition of foreign adoptions, the registration of adoption orders, access to information of both adopted persons and persons adopting, and offenses, among other things.

Adoption↗
PubMed1998

Asthma and allergic rhinitis in adoptees and their adoptive parents.

BACKGROUND: Since the highest risk for the development of atopic disease is in early life, environmental risk factors need to be separated from the genetic component in this high risk period. Adoptees removed at birth and placed in adoptive families present a way to separate environmental and genetic factors at this early susceptible age. METHOD: An opportunity for a pilot study of asthma and allergic rhinitis in adoptive families was presented when a psychiatrist (RC) was planning a behavioral study of young adult adoptees and their adoptive parents. A detailed questionnaire about allergic rhinitis and asthma was added after the psychiatrists' interview. Placement was not influenced by a history of allergy in adoptive or natural parents. The adoptee and at least one adoptive parent completed questionnaires in 367 families. The adoptees had been removed at birth and placed in the adoptive family within 3 months (83% within 1 month). RESULTS: Compared with adoptive families without asthma or allergic rhinitis, an adoptive mother with asthma or rhinitis, when the adoptive father was not affected, increased the risk for asthma in the adoptee (OR = 3.2, P < .0005). Asthma in the adoptive mother alone (OR = 3.2, P < .005) and allergic rhinitis alone (OR = 3.4, P < .005) increased the risk for asthma in the adoptee. Adoptive father asthma or allergic rhinitis showed a trend toward increased asthma in the adoptee (OR = 1.9, P < .1). CONCLUSION: This should be considered a pilot or feasibility study since subjects could not be examined or tested. Finding a risk for atopic respiratory disease or asthma associated with adoption by parents with asthma or allergic rhinitis suggests that further well planned adoptee studies should be made.

Adoption↗
PubMed2005

Third-party reproduction and adoption in cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether cancer patients receive timely information on adoption and third-party reproduction and whether discrimination exists in the system. METHODS: A convenience sample of 11 cancer organizations, 6 international adoption agencies, and 7 adoption specialists was informally surveyed by phone, by e-mail, and in person. RESULTS: Cancer organizations did not know whether cancer is a barrier to adoption; what a survivor needs to do to adopt; or whether or not a cancer survivor should disclose their cancer history to the adoption agency, home study worker, etc. They could not identify resources for a survivor experiencing discrimination or adoption agencies that are cancer friendly. They did not know whether a survivor should adopt domestically or internationally to increase the likelihood of success. Adoption agencies identified their chief concern as the welfare of the child and were reluctant to discuss how a cancer survivor would be viewed as a potential adoptive parent. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer patients lack immediate access to information about adoption and may face discrimination in domestic and international adoption.

Adoption↗
PubMed2006

Processes linked to contact changes in adoptive kinship networks.

The purpose of this study was to reveal underlying processes in adoptive kinship networks that experienced increases or decreases in levels of openness during the child's adolescent years. Intensive case study analyses were conducted for 8 adoptive kinship networks (each including an adoptive mother, adoptive father, adopted adolescent, and birth mother), half of whom had experienced an increase in openness from indirect (mediated) to direct (fully disclosed) contact and half of whom had ceased indirect contact between Waves 1 and 2 of a longitudinal study. Adoptive mothers tended to be more involved in contact with the birth mother than were adoptive fathers or adopted adolescents. Members of adoptive kinship networks in which a decrease in level of contact took place had incongruent perspectives about who initiated the stop in contact and why the stop took place. Birth mothers were less satisfied with their degree of contact than were adoptive parents. Adults' satisfaction with contact was related to feelings of control over type and amount of interactions and permeability of family boundaries. In all adoptive kinship networks, responsibility for contact had shifted toward the adopted adolescent regardless of whether the adolescent was aware of this change in responsibility.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The development and adjustment of 7-year-old children adopted in infancy.

The present study (N = 159) provides evidence of an increased risk for behavior problems of infant-placed 7-year-old internationally, transracially adopted children in the Netherlands. However, parents reported more behavior problems for adopted boys than for adopted girls. Notably, about 30% of the adopted children were classified as clinical on the CBCL scale for total problems, which is a much larger percentage than the 10% found in the normative population. It was suggested that these results could be explained by the operation of multiple risk factors before and after adoption placement, e.g. the child's genetic disposition, pre-natal and pre-adoption care, or the child's cognitive understanding of adoption in middle childhood. Also, results suggest that maternal sensitive responsiveness in adoptive families declines in the transition from early to middle childhood. In contrast to the home setting, the adopted children showed favorable behavioral and socioemotional adjustment at school, while their academic achievement and intelligence were in the normal range or above average. In particular Korean children had high IQs: 31% of these children obtained an intelligence score above 120. It was suggested that adoptive parents seem to offer their children sufficient or even more than average cognitive stimulation. Furthermore, adopted girls scored higher in optimal ego-control, social competence, and peer group popularity than nonadopted girls from the general population: 30% of the adopted girls were rated as popular by their classmates, which compares favorably to the 13% found in the general school population.

Adoption↗