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?
