Adoption satisfaction among African-American families adopting African-American children

Abstract

This study explores the factors that contribute to adoption satisfaction among African-American families adopting African-American children. Based on a survey of 83 African-American adoptive families in California, this study examines whether variables found to be associated with adoption satisfaction in past studies also are associated with satisfaction within African-American families. The findings suggest that although some variables previously identified in the general adoption literature, such as child behavioral problems and parenting stress, do play a role in adoption satisfaction among African-Americans, other previously identified variables such as child age, gender, and child welfare history, do not play a significant role in influencing satisfaction among African-American adoptive families. The results also indicate that a previously unidentified attribute, the frequency with which a parent thinks of the child when away, is a statistically significant variable in explaining the level of satisfaction with the adoption.