DISRUPTION AND DISSOLUTION OF ADOPTIONS
“When an Adoption Disrupts: A Study of Public Attitudes”
Hollingsworth, Leslie D. (2003). When an Adoption Disrupts: A Study of Public Attitudes. Family Relations, 52, 161-166. Retrieved May 28, 2009 from JSTOR database.
Full article can be accessed at http://www.jstor.org/stable/3700218.
The above article discusses the findings of a survey study that was conducted to determine public opinion regarding the dissolution or disruption of adoption if the adopted child is found to have severe behavioral issues. 916 people were interviewed over the phone; participants were randomly selected and variables such as geographic location, race, age, sex, marital status, and education level were taken into statistical consideration in the final analysis of survey data.
Although relatively infrequent, the disruption (removal of the child from an adoptive situation prior to finalization of the adoption) or dissolution (termination of an adoption after finalization) of an adoption impacts the child and the adoptive parents alike. The purpose of this study was to gather information about the general public’s attitude towards disruption and dissolution; primarily, the researchers were interested in knowing whether or not people view the cancellation of an adoption due to an adopted child’s behavioral problems as acceptable and permissible. The survey asked the following question: “Once people have adopted a particular child, do you think they should be permitted to change their minds, if the child has severe behavioral problems, or should they be required to keep the child they adopted?” Results showed that 58% of those participants who directly answered this question believed that parents should be required to keep their adopted child in the case of behavioral problems post-adoption, while only 23% believed that parents should be able to change their minds. 12% answered with “it depends” and 6.6% didn’t know or gave no answer. Responses showing support for the right to disrupt or dissolve an adoption were significantly correlated to older age and higher education level of the survey participants; however, sex, race, geographical location, employment, and marital status were not found to have any correlation with survey responses.
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION
United States started adopting children for other countries just after World War II consisting of mostly European and Japanese orphans. International adoption continued after the war in Greece, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars. But there have been other reasons as well as for adopting children from other countries. Sudden poverty and drastic society changes have been the main causes for adoption from Latin America, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe over the past twenty years. China has one of the highest adoption rates from the United States caused by the abandonment of infant girls. Even though we adopt from 106 different countries (as of 2001), almost three-quarters of all children come from only five of these countries. Because of all of the international adoption, children in the United States are not being adopted leaving our country with many more orphans than we should.
INTERRACIAL ADOPTION
Interracial adoption is becoming more popular, but can effect on the child and the family. Research has shown that approximately 75% of interracially adopted preadolescent and younger children adjust well in their adoptive homes, and in a 1995 study, interracial adoption was not found to be detrimental for the adoptee in terms of adjustment, self-esteem, academic achievement, peer relationships, parental and adult relationships. Although there may not be any huge psychological effects on a child of an interracial adoption, they may still have a lack of self identity. It is important for the family to show the child that their heritage and culture is respected and is just as important as their own. Parents should teach their child about their culture, so the lack of self identity lessoned and they can build a stronger cultural identity. There has been a controversy about interracial adoption. Some think that a child should be put into a home that has at least one parent who is of the same race, so they are able to form a connection with their own racial or cultural identity. Others think that the race of the family shouldn’t matter, as long as the child given a loving and supportive family they will be okay.
THE PERSPECTIVE OF AN ADOPTED CHILD
When I was in sixth grade a boy in my class was genuinely surprised when I told him I was adopted. “Aren’t adopted kids supposed to be messed up or something? You’re too normal to be adopted.” This was the first time I really thought about my adoption and realized that being adopted isn’t something that happens to everybody.
The woman that I call “Mom” is my second cousin. When her cousin, my biological mother, gave birth to me she was suffering from bipolar disorder, multiple medical problems, and addictions. She was also homeless. Custody was immediately given to my biological grandmother, and a year and a half later my “Mom” became my legal guardian.
I have always known I was adopted. I have never had to think about it. My adoption was an open adoption. This means that I have always had regular contact with my birth mother and her mother. People always wonder if I would have preferred it to have been the traditional closed kind of adoption. I always say no, and usually I believe that. There are times when it does get a bit confusing. For example, when I was younger and I would visit my birth mother she would always remind me, “Don’t forget I am your mom too”. As a child this confused me, because there was only one person I called Mom, and it wasn’t her. It was also hard when my birth mother passed away six years ago. I felt like I was supposed to be more upset than I was. After all, she was my mother.
Another thing people wonder about me is if I ever had any type of identity dilemmas that people often associate with adopted children. At the end of middle school and the first half of high school I did have a little trouble with it. At the end of middle school people started talking about nationalities and heritage and ethnic backgrounds. Since my legal guardian is related to me by blood I knew a bit about one side of my family, however I have never met my birth father and know absolutely nothing about his background. In high school I also had to make the decision to change my name from the last name of my birth father to that of my legal guardian (in adoptions the names would have been changed at time of adoption, but I was never completely adopted. My birth father never signed the papers to give me up). During this time I had to think a lot about who I was in relation to “Mom” and what my last name meant for me. The state also required that I look for my birth father so that he have the chance to oppose the name change. He never came forward. I still do not know what I would have done if he had.
I would like to adopt. I think this decision has a lot to do with the fact that I am adopted. If I had not been adopted I would be leading a very different life than I am now. I am very lucky, and so happy that my Mom took me in when she did. When I adopt I also plan on participating in an open adoption. Although the openness of my own adoption created a few emotional blips in my life, I believe it was overall a good thing for me to have a relationship with my biological family. It allows the child to have a sense of where they came from. They do not have to wonder where they got certain features, or what kind of hereditary diseases or mutated genes they may have acquired from one side or the other (which is something I think about daily. Not kidding).
Whether or not the adoption is open, I do believe that it is very important the adopted child grows up knowing that they are adopted, and what that means. Being adopted is very much a part of who somebody is, even if it doesn’t have a profound effect on their immediate life. If I had found out that I was adopted when I was 11, I may have had the same thoughts as my classmate, and turned on myself when I learned that I was “messed up”. Children form identities around their families. When a child finds out that they are adopted their idea of their family is suddenly skewed and they are not always able to differentiate adoptive family from biological family which may cause a chasm in the identity of the self.
There are a lot of issues and many discussion topics surrounding adoption. We leave you with these parting gifts, please chose one or two questions to respond to.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How would you answer the survey question quoted above? Do you think that the question was aptly worded, or can you think of a different way to phrase it, or perhaps other questions that may have been interesting or relevant to include in the survey?
2. Why do you think the majority of the population is in favor of adoptive parents being required to keep an adopted child? If you hold this same opinion, can you think of any situations in which you might view disruption/dissolution as an acceptable course of action? If you do not hold this opinion, what methods do you think are appropriate for determining whether or not a given situation requires disruption/dissolution?
3. What are the social implications of the survey results? Assuming that public opinion affects myriad aspects of society – anything from public policy to social interaction and individual decisions – what connections do you see between the survey results and the broader social topic of adoption?
4. How do you think we can raise the adoption rates in the United States while continuing to adopt children from other countries when we need to?
5. Interracial adoption has been a big controversy between adoption agencies, racial organizations, and prospective adopting parents. Do you think it should matter weather the child is being adopted into a family of their own or of a different race?
6. Would you ever think about adopting children? If so would it be open or closed? Do you think it is important to tell adopted children their stories early on, or should it wait until they are old enough to really understand? Why?
7. If you were to put a child up for adoption would you perfer to have an open adoption or a closed adoption. What do you beleive are the pros and cons of each kind for both parents and child?
The woman that I call “Mom” is my second cousin. When her cousin, my biological mother, gave birth to me she was suffering from bipolar disorder, multiple medical problems, and addictions. She was also homeless. Custody was immediately given to my biological grandmother, and a year and a half later my “Mom” became my legal guardian.
I have always known I was adopted. I have never had to think about it. My adoption was an open adoption. This means that I have always had regular contact with my birth mother and her mother. People always wonder if I would have preferred it to have been the traditional closed kind of adoption. I always say no, and usually I believe that. There are times when it does get a bit confusing. For example, when I was younger and I would visit my birth mother she would always remind me, “Don’t forget I am your mom too”. As a child this confused me, because there was only one person I called Mom, and it wasn’t her. It was also hard when my birth mother passed away six years ago. I felt like I was supposed to be more upset than I was. After all, she was my mother.
Another thing people wonder about me is if I ever had any type of identity dilemmas that people often associate with adopted children. At the end of middle school and the first half of high school I did have a little trouble with it. At the end of middle school people started talking about nationalities and heritage and ethnic backgrounds. Since my legal guardian is related to me by blood I knew a bit about one side of my family, however I have never met my birth father and know absolutely nothing about his background. In high school I also had to make the decision to change my name from the last name of my birth father to that of my legal guardian (in adoptions the names would have been changed at time of adoption, but I was never completely adopted. My birth father never signed the papers to give me up). During this time I had to think a lot about who I was in relation to “Mom” and what my last name meant for me. The state also required that I look for my birth father so that he have the chance to oppose the name change. He never came forward. I still do not know what I would have done if he had.
I would like to adopt. I think this decision has a lot to do with the fact that I am adopted. If I had not been adopted I would be leading a very different life than I am now. I am very lucky, and so happy that my Mom took me in when she did. When I adopt I also plan on participating in an open adoption. Although the openness of my own adoption created a few emotional blips in my life, I believe it was overall a good thing for me to have a relationship with my biological family. It allows the child to have a sense of where they came from. They do not have to wonder where they got certain features, or what kind of hereditary diseases or mutated genes they may have acquired from one side or the other (which is something I think about daily. Not kidding).
Whether or not the adoption is open, I do believe that it is very important the adopted child grows up knowing that they are adopted, and what that means. Being adopted is very much a part of who somebody is, even if it doesn’t have a profound effect on their immediate life. If I had found out that I was adopted when I was 11, I may have had the same thoughts as my classmate, and turned on myself when I learned that I was “messed up”. Children form identities around their families. When a child finds out that they are adopted their idea of their family is suddenly skewed and they are not always able to differentiate adoptive family from biological family which may cause a chasm in the identity of the self.
There are a lot of issues and many discussion topics surrounding adoption. We leave you with these parting gifts, please chose one or two questions to respond to.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How would you answer the survey question quoted above? Do you think that the question was aptly worded, or can you think of a different way to phrase it, or perhaps other questions that may have been interesting or relevant to include in the survey?
2. Why do you think the majority of the population is in favor of adoptive parents being required to keep an adopted child? If you hold this same opinion, can you think of any situations in which you might view disruption/dissolution as an acceptable course of action? If you do not hold this opinion, what methods do you think are appropriate for determining whether or not a given situation requires disruption/dissolution?
3. What are the social implications of the survey results? Assuming that public opinion affects myriad aspects of society – anything from public policy to social interaction and individual decisions – what connections do you see between the survey results and the broader social topic of adoption?
4. How do you think we can raise the adoption rates in the United States while continuing to adopt children from other countries when we need to?
5. Interracial adoption has been a big controversy between adoption agencies, racial organizations, and prospective adopting parents. Do you think it should matter weather the child is being adopted into a family of their own or of a different race?
6. Would you ever think about adopting children? If so would it be open or closed? Do you think it is important to tell adopted children their stories early on, or should it wait until they are old enough to really understand? Why?
7. If you were to put a child up for adoption would you perfer to have an open adoption or a closed adoption. What do you beleive are the pros and cons of each kind for both parents and child?
6.
ReplyDeleteI would consider adopting a child if I could not naturally have children of my own. I feel that every child has the right for a better life instead of living in an orphanage. Whether or not the adoption was open or closed would depend partially on the other. If she does not wish to be involved with her child's life, then that is her choice.
On the other hand, if it was my choice if she was to be involved, I would not want her to be. If a mother made a choice to place her child up for adoption, than that is her choice and partially her consequence. I feel that if a person puts up a child for adoption (either for they can't take care of the child or they don't want it) they have to stick to that decision.
I feel that a child should know who their biological parents are. The way of approaching this issue can be different for every person. I personally believe that a child should be aware of their adoption, but only at an age where they understand the situation completely. Telling the child early on or later is of course going to be confusing. Which way is the correct way? I have no idea. Confusion can settle into a young child and may not know who their mother is or if they should trust the person who is raising them. Either way, it is a confusing process that should be taken with care.
-Rachel Badger
I definitely agree that the decision of when to tell a child they are adopted is very confusing, but, in my opinion, i think that the child should be told earlier on in life. A close family friend of mine adopted their daughter when she was a baby. They always told her that she was adopted and it was never a secret. She is 14 years old now and there are no issues with her and her family, and she is living a normal teenage life with no questions about the adoption. Anything she wanted to know they would tell her, if they knew the information. I feel that telling a child later in life could cause more confusion, but sometimes it also depends on the child, the family and the situation.
ReplyDelete-Liz MacEachern
2. I believe that if a parent adopts a child they should have to keep it. I believe this because think of how traumatic it would be for a child to not be wanted by their parents. The adopted parents might use the excuse they're not really my child or something to that extent; but I believe as soon as they sign the papers it is completely their child just as if it were blood related. The child already has a big enough hill to come over by knowing that their birth parents did not want them, but to finally be adopted and then told they are not wanted again must be devastating for the child.I do not think that a child should ever get taken away from their adoptive parents unless the parents are the ones doing something wrong. In many families that do not have adopted children there are issues. The child may have anger problems or something, this is just part of life and something that families need to deal with. Adoptive parents should not be able to just give the child back if they are not "perfect" in their eyes. Families do not have the opportunity to just return their child, so i believe that an adoptive parent should not have this opportunity as well. The only case I believe a child should be taken away from the parents is if the parents are harming the child. I believe this because this is the case for families that do not have adoptive parents. All in all adoptive families and non adoptive families should have the same rules as each other because they are all technically a family.
ReplyDeleteTracy
To answer Question #2, I do not think the disruption or dissolution of an adoption is acceptable under any circumstances. Uprooting a child who has presumably already been through a number of transitions will only serve to disrupt their lives further. Adoptive parents should be aware of the potential behavioral problems that a child who has probably lived out the first part of their lives in chaos or isolation may have. If they are not prepared to love and nurture their adoptive child regardless of their less than perfect behavior, perhaps they should consider adopting a newborn or not adopting at all. Futhermore, there should be social policy to support the education of potential adoptive parents in order to raise awareness of the possible issues that come along with children from backgrounds consisting of extreme hardship and effective ways to deal with these issues.
ReplyDelete-Julie Conton
4.
ReplyDeleteI believe there are several different keys that could be used to raise adoption rates within the U.S.
Firstly, societal views around the importance of leaving a legacy to biological children must change. While watching that video about reproductive technologies in class (specifically about the woman who tried repeatedly and finally was able to have her own biological child)I could not help but think about all the children that need adoptive parents and how much time, energy and money it would've saved that woman to adopt.
Secondly, ideas around age of adopted children must change. The craze is to adoption children as babies and I feel this has become increasingly more possible in international adoptions therefore parents are adopting internationally more and more.
My last and most important observation about how adoption must change in the U.S. is the cost. Overall I think paying for another human being is an odd concept but with adoption it is nonetheless the norm. International adoptions are often much cheaper and therefore more appealing, leaving more and more American children "in the system."
So, in short, I believe that the United States really needs to change their views about biological relatedness and age of child at adoption in addition to changing the policies surrounding the enormous costs
-Rhyanna Anderson
1. I think that the "rules" for adoption should be the same as laws regarding biological children. Adoption is different because parents are not always going into it blindly as they would for child birth. They have more of a choice as to what they want for a child. Adoptive parents should be informed of all pre-existing conditions of the child, and if the child has a condition that parents are aware of, that they feel they cannot handle, then they can simply disrupt the adoption. They have a choice to make before there is any sort of bonding, and it doesn't really emotionally affect the child. If the child had a pre-existing condition and the parents were not informed, I personally don't think that they should have the right to dissolution, but I do think that in some cases, families may not be able to handle certain situations, and they should be informed beforehand.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I think disruption is more acceptable than dissolution is because it all takes place before the adoption is finalized. I know that it is probably a hassle with all the paperwork and such, but I feel that it is probably more in the best interest of not only the child, but the whole family. I think that dissolution is completely inappropriate because the family made a decision to have a child, and they should keep that child, like most biological parents do. The one exception would be if the parents were not informed about a pre-existing condition, and find out that they are not capable of providing proper care for the child. People give up their children for adoption because they cannot take care of them. The people who choose to adopt, make that choice because they know they can take care of them. The difference is that adoptive parents have a choice. Once the choice is made, they should be responsible adults and stick it through, because there are always rough patches throughout the parenting experience.
One thing I would make sure to include in the survey is an overview of the adoption process along with the current legislation regarding adoption. If people go into the survey blindly, their answers will be different compared to if they had the information to begin with. It requires a little background knowledge for a well thought out answer.
-Christina
Julie and Tracy, you both said that you think it is unnacceptable for adoptive parents to decide that they no longer wanted to keep their adopted child, and be allowed to "return" them. In the study, a correlation was found between the participants that said disruption and dissolution were acceptable, and the level of education. People with higher education were more likely to say these actions were acceptable. Both of you are college students and are working toward degrees of higher education, yet you feel differently. You seem to be goign against what the study found.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have any thoughts on why there may be a correlation there?
--Dory
6.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would adopt. There are so many children in this world who need safe, stable and loving homes, and if I have the ability to provide that home, I would do it in a second. I was blessed with wonderful childhood, and though I was not adopted, I want to be able to do this for someone else.
I would not be against an open adoption. Many mothers are forced to give up their babies because of financial or health related problems. If she wanted to see her child, I would not want to be the one standing in that mother's way. I also believe that roots are important and for an adopted child to be able to have a relationship with their biological mother might answer questions that I cannot.
A child should be told very early on that they are adopted. Therefore, they will get used to the idea and 'understand' when they are able to. In this way, they are the ones asking the questions when they need to, not receiving information when they are not ready yet. Finding out you are adopted can be traumatic, and I believe this is the best way to make adoption have the least trauma possible.
-Grace Maskell
4. How do you think we can raise the adoption rates in the United States while continuing to adopt children from other countries when we need to?
ReplyDeleteI think a great way to raise adoption rates in the U.S. would be to allow gay and lesbian people to adopt in all states. Surprisingly, this is not legal in all states, and some states are working on tightening it even more. In the past election, Arkansas voted to prohibit unmarried couples, both gay and straight from adopting or even being foster parents. This is clearly discriminatory towards gays, because in Arkansas gays cannot get married, therefore they can never adopt. This is obviously damaging to straight people as well, not to mention to the 4,000+ kids in the Arkansas fostercare/orphanage system who do not have a home.
Also in the past election, Florida voted to prohibit single AND joint gay adoption. Even if a straight person wants to adopt a child, he or she cannot. A gay couple could not adopt a child in Florida either.
A number of other states have unclear rules on adoption, or make the adoption process more difficult for gays and lesbians.
The adoption rights of not only gay people, but the children who do not have a stable home or family are being trampled based on discriminatory laws that are clearly unconstitutional.
-Bonnie Bryant
Rhyanna - I definitely agree with you. Until I read more into this subject, I was planning on adopting a little girl from China when I got older and financially secure. But now I am becoming much more interested in adopting a child from here and I am also becoming interested in the idea of possibly adopting them as an older child.
ReplyDeleteBonnie - Yes, and as we mentioned in class, the main reason they will not allow gay and lesbian couples adopt is what happens more often anyway within straight couples. I think that's more of an issue that people need to start viewing people as individuals which may take a long time, but that's another issue. And if there was a way single parents could become more financially secure, I believe adoption among that population will be much easier, but I think that is an economy issue as well as a combination of others.
Thanks Ryhanna and Bonnie! I love your ideas!
I would definitely consider adopting a child. I would probably only consider adopting a child if I could not have one biologically, though. I think that it is wonderful when families adopt children of different races and ethnicities. I think that a child needs love and it does not matter what the parent looks like that is taking care of them it is the parent's character that matters. I think that if I were an orphan I would not care what my parents looked like I would be so grateful that someone wants to care for me and love me. I do agree that in our society adopting a child of a different race than yours could cause conflicts and confusion for the child when they are growing up trying to find their identity, but I think it is much more important that this child has love and they will be over to overcome any struggles of their cultural identity if they have support and love from their parents. In my family I do not identify with a certain ethnicity, I am a "mut" a total mix of heritages as are my parents. I was brought up that it is not what you look like or what ethnicity you are that makes you, you it is what your character, personality and what you bring to the world that matters. This is why I find race, and heritage insignificant or at least overshadowed when it comes to deciding factors on who to adopt. I don't think ethnicity or race should play a part in the decision. Any child should be loved and given the same opportunities no matter what race. I know this is idealistic to think at this point in society but I will be happy when people do not even notice ethnicities, or races and just look at the inside and character that people have.
ReplyDeletePs. I also know a family that has adopted a young girl from China. They have resolved this issue by bringing her culture into their home. They celebrate Chinese holidays, and they also visit China with their daughter once every year. This is another great solution to easing the transition of merging cultures and ethnicities in families.
Thanks,
Taylor Faulkner
5.
ReplyDeleteInterracial adoption, unfortunately, is still a relevant issue. Though I believe dwelling on it is simply promoting the same racist ideals that so many people have dedicated and given their lives attempting to change. The main problem mentioned in this week’s group’s post was difficulty in establishing one’s self identity. In the case of interracial adoption, it is assuming that self identity is somehow directly connected to racial identity. But the reality is, that saying that a dark skinned child HAS TO identify with African-American culture, is just as racist as any other statement. The fact is that an individual’s self identity should be based on that person’s interests, surroundings, and life, not those of people with a similar skin color; because what else establishes a racial group aside from insignificant physical similarities. Race shouldn’t even be a question when it comes to adoption. If the adoptive parents act as parents should with the child, providing love, support and guidance no matter the context, then the question of race should never be an issue. As far as general self identity is concerned, with the personal story as support, even in seemingly best case scenario adoption cases, some amount of uncertainty about one’s identity is present. Though I feel as though most children in middle and high school question their identity, I know I didn’t know who I was until sometime during my first year of college. I hope that in the future we can stop over analyzing these situations and get past stupid little differences like skin color. People are who they are despite skin color. Children are who they are despite skin color. So many children need families, and I see no reason why ‘race’ should get in the way of them finding the life that every child deserves.
-James
I continue to be so impressed! This is a fascinating topic and I appreciate the level of detail from a variety of vantage points. Certainly, we could explode the questions into an entire course...hmm, you are all giving me something to think about...
ReplyDeleteI love the different ways you presented the data -- including your use of sources and the visual aids -- great work!
If I were to have another child I would give all forms of adoption serious consideration. This dialogue has enriched my thinking about this complex issue.
Dr. Amy R-R
6) If I had the financial resources I think adoption is a wonderful idea. As of yet I haven't considered any ideas of family planning, however it would be a great addition to any family to bring into the house a child in need. I also think it is extremely important to be open and honest with your child, so they won't resent you later on in life.
ReplyDelete