Ruth G. McRoy

The Identity of Transracial Adoptees

A study identifies familial and contextual factors that may influence the development of racial self-perceptions among black children whose major reference groups are white. It also suggests responsibilities for transracial adoptive families and agencies that provide service for them.

Many Faces of Openness in Adoption: Perspectives of Adopted Adolescents and Their Parents

ABSTRACT Parents and adolescents (mean age, 15.7 years) from 177 adoptive families participating in the second wave of the Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project were interviewed about their post-adoption contact arrangements. The sample included families with no contact, stopped contact, contact without meetings, and contact with face-to-face meetings between the adolescent and birth mother. Openness arrangements were dynamic, and different openness arrangements were associated with different experiences and feelings. Adoptive families with contact reported having higher levels of satisfaction about their openness arrangements, experiencing more positive feelings about the birth mother, and possessing more factual and personal knowledge about the birth mother than did families without contact. Adolescents and adoptive mothers in the contact with meetings group reported the greatest satisfaction with their openness arrangements; those with no contact or stopped contact reported the least satisfaction with their arrangements. Participants having no contact were more likely to want the intensity of contact to increase in the future rather than stay the same. Many participants already having contact wanted it to increase in the future. Fewer than 1 percent of all participants wanted to see the intensity of contact decrease.

Factors related to patterns of information exchange between adoptive parents and children in mediated adoptions

Communication between adoptive parents and their adopted children was examined in a sample of 60 families involved in mediated adoptive relationships. Subjects for this study participated in the Minnesota-Texas Adoption Project, a nationwide study of openness in adoption ( Grotevant & McRoy, 1997 ). The children ranged in age from 4.5 to 12.5 years, with a mean age of 7.8 years. Data were drawn from individual interviews with family members in their homes. Results indicated that communication between adoptive parents and their children intensified when children began to act on their curiosity and question their parents about adoption-related issues. Different patterns of communication were found between adopted children and their mothers and fathers. While all adoptive mothers reported active communication with their children about adoption-related issues, adoptive fathers communicated more actively when their children had more information about their birth parents or reported being more curious about adoption-related issues.

Adaptive Behavior in Adopted Children: Predictors from Early Risk, Collaboration in Relationships within the Adoptive Kinship Network, and Openness Arrangements.

This study examines potential links between early risk and problematic developmental outcomes in a sample of adopted children during middle childhood (mean age = 7. 8 years). No direct relation was found between prenatal, perinatal, or preplacement risk factors and problematic socioemotional adjustment. When 12 high-risk children and their families were studied more intensively, collaboration in relationships within the adoptive kinship network did account for variations in socioemotional outcomes for these children. Collaboration in relationships refers to proactive cooperation among the child’s adoptive and birth family members on behalf of the child’s best interests. The usefulness of this concept for studying other types of complex family forms is suggested.

Young female sex offenders: assessment and treatment issues.

ABSTRACT Research on the characteristics and treatment of juvenile female sex offenders is limited. This article reviews the literature on female offenders and presents the results of a nationwide survey by mail of 250 mental health providers in private settings and residential treatment centers (RTCs), on approaches to diagnosing prior sexual abuse history and/or perpetration among juvenile females. Nineteen of the most experienced practitioners were also interviewed by telephone to provide further insight to the issues highlighted by the surveys. Key findings include the lack of research, tools, and literature on young female sex offenders and perceived differences between male and female offenders including history, treatment, and characteristics. Further study and awareness of this population is encouraged to address clinical needs.

Adolescent Search for Birthparents: Who Moves Forward?.

The decision to search for birthparents is one that all adopted persons consider. The focus of this study is to describe, for a group of adopted adolescents, who chooses to search and who does not and to explore how search behavior is related to the functioning of the adolescents’adoptive families and adolescents’psychological adjustment. Participants in the study included 93 adolescents whose contact with birthparents ranged from no contact or information about birthparents to those who had some information but no direct contact with birthparents. Adolescents who indicated no desire to search for their birthparents and those who indicated a desire to search or had searched were included in the study. Older adolescents who experienced some openness in their adoption, were the least satisfied with that adoptive openness, and were preoccupied with their adoptive status were most likely to search. Search behavior was not related to family functioning or adolescent problem behavior.

An Organizational Dilemma: The Case of Transracial Adoptions:

This article presents an overview and analysis of the complex organizational, racial, economic, and power issues associated with transracial adoptions whereby black children are placed in the homes of white families. The author discusses the historical and contemporary circumstances surrounding adoption, and discusses adoption policies in the context of Hasenfields model of human service organizations. Arguments for and against transracial adoption are discussed, with emphasis on the unique cultural needs of black children and the desirability of inracial adoption. The article concludes that agencies must undergo organizational change to better serve black families willing to adopt children and black children in need of permanent homes.

Contact in Adoption: The Experience of Adoptive Families in the USA

Contact in adoption is a complex issue that adoption professionals frequently negotiate. Today most adoption placements include an initial plan for contact that in many instances changes over time. By understanding contact as an issue that presents itself over the course of an adopted persons lifetime, the complexities it brings to the adoption experience can be seen. Gretchen Miller Wrobel, Harold D Grotevant, Jerica Berge, Tai Mendenhall and Ruth McRoy discuss contact from a US perspective using findings from the Minnesota/Texas Adoption Project, a longitudinal study of openness in adoption. They examine how curiosity, satisfaction with adoptive contact, family communication and searching influence decision-making about the extent of contact. Implications for adoption professionals in the USA and the UK are also presented.

The Emergence of Psychosocial Engagement in Adopted Adolescents: The Family as Context Over Time

Psychosocial engagement of adopted adolescents was examined as a function of longitudinal patterns of stability and change in parents’ perceptions of the compatibility of the child within the family.Psychosocial engagement involves the adolescent’s active use of his or her inner resources to interact positively with others in family, peer, and community contexts.Participants included 177 adoptive families who were interviewed when the target child was in middle childhood and again when the child was in adolescence.Five patterns of stability and change in compatibility were identified.Parents’ perceptions of their adolescent’s social competence were related to patterns indicating higher compatibility, and higher reports of problem behaviors were found in families with patterns indicating lower compatibility.The same pattern of results was evident whether mothers’ or fathers’ scores for social competence and behavior problems were used.No main effects for adolescent gender or interaction between gender and change pattern emerged.

Adoption Revelation and Communication Issues: Implications for Practice

Adoption revelation and ongoing communication can be problematic in some adoptive families. The authors examine these issues from a cognitive perspective. Case illustrations are presented from an exploratory study of adopted adolescents in residential treatment. A guide for assessing communication problems is presented and interventive methods are suggested for use by adoption workers and other mental health professionals.