New Worlds of Adoption: Growing Up in Complex Families

Department of Psychology

Harold D. Grotevant, Ph.D. Rudd Family Foundation Chair in

PsychologyUniversity of Massachusetts

Amherst USA

New Worlds of Adoption:Growing Up in Complex

Families

Thanks to SRHD for the Invitation!

Adoption Touches Many Lives

More than 5 million adopted persons in U.S.

1.5 million children currently live in adoptive families

Over 1.6 million women have taken concrete steps toward adoption at some point

As many as 60% of Americans have a direct personal to adoption

Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Inst, U.S. Census 2000

Adoption as a Diverse Family Form

Varies by adopting parent(s)

• single or two-parent• same-sex or straight• same or different race from

child• same or different nationality

from child• both parents unrelated to child

vs. one related (stepparent)

Varies by characteristics of the adopted child

placed as infant or at older age

placed in good health or with special needs

adopted alone or with siblings

Varies by intermediaryprivate adoption agency public child welfare system

independent adoption

Varies by circumstances leading to adoption

birth parents wanted a better life for the child than they could provide

not emotionally ready to parent unwilling to parent following rape or

incest child removed by courts (abuse,

neglect, chemical dependency)

4 Distinct Worlds of Adoption in U.S. Adoption of children from child

welfare system (~51,000 / yr) International adoptions (~17,200 /

yr) Infant adoptions – children

voluntarily placed by birthparents (~14,000 / yr)

Kinship adoptions, incl. by stepparents (~53,000 / yr)

[data from U.S. DHHS / CWIG ; Dept of Homeland Security - orphan visas]

Each "world" differs in terms of Characteristics of adopters -

motivations, demographics The children - physical &

mental health, histories, risks Population dynamics & trends Family & community challenges Laws and policies that pertain

Expanding Conceptualizations of Adoption

Currently in USA...Adoption is a legal process:

Parenting rights and responsibilities are legally transferred from birth to adoptive parent(s).

Child is “subtracted” from one nuclear family and “added” to another.

Toward a New Conceptualization...Instead, adoption creates a new “adoptive kinship network” that permanently links the families of birth and of rearing together, through the child, who is shared by both.

Movement toward Openness in Adoption Started in private adoption agency

placements in late 1970s - early 1980s

Contributing dynamics:• Fewer babies to place, yet high demand• Evolving view that contact may be in the best interests of the child

Typical features of open adoption in domestic infant placementsBirth parent(s) chooses the adoptive family

Direct contact between birth family and adoptive family members

Nevertheless, adoptive parents are the legal parents and have all legal parenting rights and responsibilities.

Contact may include meetings, phone calls, exchange of pictures, gifts, letters, e-mails, Skype, etc.

Contact may involve different people

Frequency varies widely

Agreements may be verbal or written

What Have We Learned??

Collaborative TeamHal Grotevant, UMass AmherstRuth McRoy, U of TX, Boston CollegeGretchen Wrobel, Bethel UnivMartha Rueter, Univ of MinnesotaSusan Ayers-Lopez, U of TXLynn Von Korff, U of MinnMany talented graduate and

undergrad students and volunteers

Sincere Thanks to our Funding Partners

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

National Science Foundation William T. Grant Foundation Rudd Family Foundation Chair

Overarching Research Questions

Are there links between openness (structure and process) and psychosocial outcomes for adopted persons, adoptive parents, & birth parents?

How are relationships managed within adoptive kinship networks? (e.g., emotional distance regulation)

Participants: Wave 1 (1987-92)

190 adoptive families: parents mostly white, middle to upper middle

class; mean age 40 yrs; adopted because of infertility

children: ages 4 – 12 (M=7.8 yrs); infant placements; no transracial, international, or special needs placements

169 birthmothers: mostly white, ages 14-36 at placement (M=19.3

yrs); voluntary placements – wanted a better future for her child

Participants: Wave 2 (1996-2000)approx 8 years after Wave 1

At least one member in 177 of 190 original families – seen in their homes across the U.S.

173 adoptive mothers & 163 adoptive fathers

156 adolescents (M=15.6 yrs) 127 birthmothers

Participants: Wave 3 (2005-2008)approx 9 years after Wave 2 169 young adult adoptees(ages 21-30; M=25.0 yrs) 103 close relationship partners 151 adoptive mothers 134 adoptive fathers

Methodological Approach Multiple respondents• adopted child, both adoptive parents, agency staff, birth

mother (W1&2), relationship partner (W3)

Multiple types of measures• extensive personal interviews, standardized questionnaires,

family interaction task (W2), school records (elem school into college)

Quantitative and qualitative

Use of technology• web-administered measures & online interactive interview

(chat) at W3 for young adults

Child / Adolescent / Young Adult Outcomes Adoption Adjustment

--adoptive identity, curiosity, information seeking

Family Dynamics in Kinship Network --emotional distance regulation Mental health

--internalizing, externalizing, adaptive functioning, school performance

Close relationships outside the family--relationships with peers, intimacy

Identity involves integration of different elements

Things that are chosen:

career path values religious & political

commitments views of self-in-relationships

And things that do not involve choice – but must be integrated:

gender race / ethnicity sexual orientation being adopted

Adoption Adds Complexity to Identity Development – there may be... lack of information about history,

family, and culture need to integrate difficult information need to understand self where people

don’t look like you BUT adoptive identity is not just the

sum of "facts"

Adoptive Identity - Measurement Narrative approach has guided our interest in

both process and structure of identity.

Key variables are coded from lengthy interviews about adoption with adolescents and emerging adults.

Latent Profile Analysis revealed unitary adoptive identity construct composed of• Adoptive Identity Exploration• Internal Consistency• Flexibility

Linking Parental Facilitation of Birth Family Contact With Adoptive Identity Development(Von Korff, 2008) Are there age and gender differences?

How stable is adoptive identity from adolescence to emerging adulthood?

Is parental facilitation of contact with birth relatives associated with adoptive identity during adolescence?

Does this effect continue into emerging adulthood?

Are there age and gender differences?

AT ADOLESCENCE (ages 12 - 20, M = 15.6 yrs)• age: β = .31, t=4.67• gender: β = .21 (females), t = 2.71

AT EMERGING ADULTHOOD (ages 21-30, M=25.0 yrs)• age: β = .02, ns• gender: β = .09, ns

How stable is adoptive identity from adolescence to emerging adulthood?• β = .53, t=7.05

Is parental facilitation of contact with birth relatives associated with adoptive identity during adolescence, controlling for age & gender?• β = .29, t=3.89• R2 = .21

Does this effect continue into emerging adulthood?• indirect effect through adolescent

identity: β = .15, t=2.99• R2 = .28

“I think that I am who I am not just because of my family who raised me, or because of the two people that made me. I think it’s a combination of all that. Being able to know all of them has really helped me to become who I am.” (female, age 18)

“As soon as I met my birthfather, I knew who I was. I don’t know why that had anything to do with it, but I was more focused on me. I didn’t actually feel a part of the [adoptive] family until I met my biological parents….I could become “me” after meeting someone else.”

Older Literature on "Searching"

Argued that adoptees searched for birth relatives because they had poor relationships with their adoptive parents or because they were emotionally troubled

But many of these studies are from clinic populations or from groups of adoptees organized to help each other search.

New Distinctions Emerged from MTARP Curiosity Information-seeking Searching

Wrobel, Grotevant, & McRoy (2004)Wrobel, Grotevant, Von Korff, McRoy, Ayers-Lopez (2004)Wrobel, Von Korff, Grotevant (2006)Wrobel, Grotevant, Von Korff (2008)Skinner-Drawz, Wrobel, Grotevant, Von Korff (in press)Wrobel & Dillon (2009)Wrobel, Grotevant, Von Korff (2009)

Adoption Curiosity Pathway Model (Wrobel & Dillon, 2009)

Curiosity

Info Seeking

Searching?

Barriers Facilitators

Curiosity - What are adolescents most curious about?

1. Why was I placed for adoption?2. Are my birth parents raising other

children - do I have brothers or sisters I don't know about?

3. What do my birth parents look like?4. How are they doing?

What Have We Found?

Information seeking is NOT related to:

adolescents' attachment to their adoptive parents

adolescent adjustment

Information seeking IS related to: positive expectations of relationship with

birth parents higher levels of adoptive mothers'

communicative openness about adoption lower levels of independence-granting by

adoptive mothers (i.e., more maternal control)

lower levels of perceived barriers higher levels of perceived facilitatorsNote: some of the barriers and facilitators are

policies about access to information.

Evidence-based guidance for professional practice and for families:

Curiosity is normal part of development Information seeking is about identity and

not necessarily about developing a relationship with birth relatives

Parental control stimulates information seeking

Barriers & facilitators influence information seeking

Family Dynamics in Adoptive Kinship Networks Fear of Reclaiming

Emotional Distance Regulation - Management of Relationships

What Does it Take to Make Contact Work?

Special Considerations in Adoptions from Child Welfare System and International Adoptions

Comfort Zone of Interaction

Individuals have "range of tolerance for separation and connection - a comfort zone" (Farley)

When forming the adoptive kinship network, differences must be contended with in a dynamic process involving connection and separation over time

Adoption often pulls adults out of their comfort zones

Ideal situation - mutually agreeable fit Reality - like all families--Grotevant (2009)

“We used to write daily and call each other weekly, I mean in the beginning. When the children were real little, it was tremendous intensity. And I think as our birthmother became more secure in herself and went on to finish college, her need to have to see them once a week or once a month became less and less. And you know, she feels more comfortable with us, we feel more comfortable with her, and we just know that we always have access... You just take it one day at a time. If you want it to work, you’ll work at it. We feel it’s healthy and want it to work because of our children.” (adoptive mother)

Emotional Distance Regulation Begins Prior to Placement

Participants bring • Developmental histories• Expectations about relationships &

adoption• Relationship skills

"Typical" Changes over the Life Course of the AKN

Contrasting desires for contact by APs and BPs at the beginning, and diverging changes over time

Increasing role of the child in contact decisions

Birthmother’s "watchful anticipation" of 18th birthday

… but "teenage things take over"

Non-normative Changes Require Continued Distance Regulation: "Life Happens"

Entrances and exits of AKN members• Adoption and birth of additional

children• Adoptive parent divorces and deaths• Birthmother marriages and births

Geographical moves

Mis-steps in the Dance Provide Opportunities for Growth

Paradoxical relationship Boundary violations Inappropriate familiarity

What does it take to make contact work? Shift in thinking from nuclear family

to adoptive kinship network Valuing of child’s dual connection to

birth and adoptive parents Flexibility in day-to-day logistics Excellent communication skills Commitment to the relationship – in

the best interest of the child

Contact Involves Special Challenges When the Child Had Been Removed from the Family

Questions about regulating the contact: who? when? where?

Protecting the child against recurrence of trauma

Developing empathic understanding of birth parents’ situation

Consideration of extended family and sibling contact

Contact Issues in International Adoptions

• Cultural issues (stigma, shame)

• Cultural understandings about

permanence

• Language barriers

• Economic disparities

Conclusions

Adoption is changing to meet the needs of children and families.

Because the concept of family is culturally and historically bound, adoption will continue to change and adapt.

However, we know much about the developmental needs of children – and we need to make sure that new forms of adoption meet those fundamental needs.

It’s All About the Kids ...

Department of Psychology

Thank you for your interest!

Contact:Harold Grotevant

hgroteva@psych.umass.edu