International Adoption Research Articles

What Non-White Kids Do to White Parents: Whiteness and Secondary Socialization in the Case of White Parents of Mixed-Race and Internationally Adopted Children in France

International adoptions have rarely been studied from the angle of racial mixedness in France, as opposed to the way the adoption debate is shaped in the United States and the United Kingdom. However, a large majority of adopted children in France come from countries colonized by Europe in the past, and are very likely to be racialized as non-white. Adoptive parents, for their part, belong overwhelmingly to the majority population, racialized as white. As such, adoptive families usually involve, like families formed by mixed-race couples, white parents raising non-white kids. These two types of families can thus provide valuable insights on racial boundaries and how they are negotiated at the microsociological level. Moreover, as whiteness is generally characterized by invisibility and unspeakability, white parents of non-white children occupy a singular and heuristic position. They also experience an atypical whiteness: the norm of intrafamilial racial homogeneity being disrupted in their families, they experience racial alterity in a very intimate way—inaccessible to most whites. Drawing upon an ethnographic study conducted between 2015 and 2017, this article explores what racial mixedness does to the whiteness of white parents raising non-white kids in the French colorblind context. Investigating the different ways their whiteness is not only rendered unusually visible, but also questioned, reshaped, and—partially—disrupted, the article considers the socializing power of racial mixedness. As such, it considers parents not only as socializing agents but also as (re)socialized individuals, arguing that parenthood is a site of racial socialization.

Secondary Alveolar Bone Grafting in Patients with Unilateral and Bilateral Complete Cleft Lip and Palate: A Single-Institution Outcomes Evaluation Using Three-Dimensional Cone Beam Computed Tomography.

Secondary alveolar bone grafting of autologous bone from the iliac crest is a widely accepted modality for repair of residual alveolar cleft in patients with mixed dentition with previously repaired complete cleft lip and palate. There remains debate regarding surgical timing and preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative management of these cases. This retrospective study reviewed patient demographic information in addition to preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative course to evaluate how patient and practice factors impact graft outcomes as assessed by three-dimensional cone beam computed tomographic evaluation at the 6-month postoperative visit. On univariate analysis, age at operation older than 9 years, history of oronasal fistula, history of cleft lip or palate revision, and history of international adoption were all found to significantly increase likelihood of graft failure (p < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, age older than 9 years was found to be the single most significant predictor of graft failure (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in graft outcomes between patients with unilateral or bilateral cleft lip and palate, and no single variable was found to significantly correlate to increased complication rates. The graft success rate overall of the authors' practice was 86.2 percent, with a complication rate of 7.7 percent. Secondary alveolar bone grafting is an integral part of the cleft lip and palate surgical treatment series; this study identified several outcome predictors for both graft failure and adverse events, the most significant of which was age at operation. Although the mixed dentition phase often extends to 12 years of age, it is recommended that bone grafting be performed before 9 years of age to optimize outcomes. Risk, III.

A trauma-informed substance use disorder prevention program for transracially adopted children and adolescents

The prevalence of substance use among transracial and international adoptees is higher than that of non-adopted persons, and yet no specialized treatment modalities exist for this underserved population. Our purpose is to propose a substance use disorder (SUD) prevention program for transracial adoptive families that addresses the specific issues that face this community. There are several pre- and post-adoption factors which position transracial and international adoptees (TRIAs) to be at higher risk to develop SUDs. Some of these factors include adoption identity, trauma, loss, genetics, and racial discrimination. The biopsychosocial (BPS) model (Engel, 1977) is used to conceptualize SUDs in adoptees, and theories that focus on adoption-related development issues such as the Adoptee Stress and Coping Model (Brodzinsky, 1990) are also presented. Our proposed program, Strengthening Transracial Adoptive Families (STAF), utilizes the Guiding Good Choices (GGC) prevention program as its foundation to integrate a culturally responsive adoption-focused curriculum to best serve transracial adoptive families.

Advocating the need for neuro-informed working with intercountry adoptees

BackgroundIntercountry adoption is declining and many adoptees at any point of their life are in search of therapeutic services. Specialized care is scare and regular services seem to be missing the point. Regular therapeutic services do not cater to the specific needs of adoptees because they often forget to take the early adversity into account.Adoption specific therapeutic services are called for worldwide, this needs not be very difficult. Affective neurobiology, trauma and attachment research next to adoption studies have given practitioners many tools to design a sustainable therapeutical practice for both adoption aware assessment as well as adoption aware treatment. ObjectiveAdvocating a neuro-informed approach to treatment when intercountry adoptees present developmental or other mental health problems. This approach is based on a combination of professional reflection as well as on theory and the idea is that it can be used broadly by clinicians, even when not specifically trained or focused on intercountry adoptions. Participants and settingTheoretical insights are combined with clinical experience in De Adoptiepraktijk, a private, specialized mental health practice, making the argument for embracing a neuro informed approach in working with intercountry adoptees in the Netherlands. MethodsTheoretical evaluation, argumentation and personal reflection illustrated by a small case study.Results Overview of problems, models and methods to be used in clinical work with intercountry adoptees. ConclusionsProposition to use theoretical and practical insights from the neurosequential network, dyadic developmental psychotherapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy11The author trained both in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy as well as Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, in the latter she is a certified advanced practitioner and consultant intern. and the polyvagal theory to help clinicians assess the problems adopted clients encounter and plan interventions accordingly.

Special needs of internationally adopted adolescents in 4 European receiving countries: Relation to mothers’ adoption satisfaction

IntroductionThe extent and nature of SN among international adoptees at adolescence in different receiving countries (RC) has not been completely described, nor have differences between children of Eastern Europe (EE) and non-EE origin been fully assessed. Furthermore, the impact of SN on parent adoption satisfaction has not been systematically assessed or compared between RC. AimsIn 4 European RC (1) determine the prevalence and type of SN among internationally adopted adolescents, (2) compare these for children of EE and non-EE origin, (3) relate SN to mothers’ adoption satisfaction. Methods685 mothers of internationally adopted adolescents in four different RC (France n = 246, Italy n = 322, Norway n = 60, Spain n = 57) completed on-line surveys including (a) child’s medical, behavior, psychological, or school problems, (b) Pinderhughes’ Adoption Satisfaction Questionnaire. ResultsMothers reported that 54% of the adolescents (58 %M, arrival age:53.53±40.35 months, current:14.98±1.70 years, 44% EE origin) had at least one SN. Learning disabilities were most common (40% of adolescents), followed by ADHD (30%), and medical issues (21%), but patterns differed by receiving country. Except for speech/language problems, the frequency of specific SN (developmental delay, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], behavior problems, learning disabilities, psychiatric issues, prenatal alcohol exposure) varied significantly between RC. The frequency of these conditions between children of EE and non-EE origin also varied by RC. Mothers’ adoption satisfaction did not differ significantly between RC; the presence of ADHD, behavior and/or psychiatric problems consistently related to mothers’ adoption satisfaction in all 4 RC. The relation to mothers’ ASQ and the presence and number of SN was assessed by hierarchical linear regression, controlling for child demographic characteristics. Both the presence and number of SN negatively predicted mothers’ adoption satisfaction. Child’s age at adoption (and to a lesser extent, current age) also negatively predicted mothers’ ASQ score. ConclusionsSN were relatively common among internationally adopted adolescents in 4 European RC, but the pattern of specific conditions and relationship to mothers’ adoption satisfaction differed among RC. However, ADHD, behavioral and/or psychiatric problems consistently related to mothers’ ASQ in all 4 RC. In regressions controlling for demographic characteristics, the presence of any SN and the number of SN related to mothers’ adoption satisfaction. SN represent an additional stress on adoptive families; further work is needed to understand how differences in RC may impact post-adoption adjustment and experiences.

BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSUMERS OF TOURISM PRODUCTS

The main purpose of the study. In the context of the development of tourism enterprises in Azerbaijan, it is necessary to identify rational directions for the use of marketing opportunities both at the company and state levels. To achieve this goal, the following tasks have been set: •Assess the role of marketing in marketing an innovative product; •Determining the behavioral characteristics of consumers of tourism products; •Study of experience in the application of marketing technologies in the tourism industry. Research methodology. Organizes research on the competitiveness of national tourism enterprises in domestic and international markets and generalizations from world experience in this field. Importance of research application. Adoption of the concept on development of national cluster of state tourism marketing policy, creation of normative-legal base in accordance with the concept of tourism development in each field included in tourism cluster on the basis of world experience and international tourism standards, development and adoption of "Tourism development in Azerbaijan" program, makes it necessary to carry out activities such as the regulation of tourism activities. The results of the study. The state's tourism policy must be developed and implemented in terms of time and space. In terms of time, we mean short-term and long-term tourism policies. As a result, the state's tourism policy serves to increase the efficiency of the national tourism cluster and increase the competitiveness of this sector of the national economy. Originality and scientific novelty of the research. In order to develop the national tourism cluster in Azerbaijan, a set of practical measures for tourism marketing activities for local tourism companies and the Government of Azerbaijan is being developed.

Robust Estimation of the Chronological Age of Children and Adolescents Using Tooth Geometry Indicators and POD-GP.

Determining the chronological age of children or adolescents is becoming an extremely necessary and important issue. Correct age-assessment methods are especially important in the process of international adoption and in the case of immigrants without valid documents confirming their identity. It is well known that traditional, analog methods widely used in clinical evaluation are burdened with a high error rate and are characterized by low accuracy. On the other hand, new digital approaches appear in medicine more and more often, which allow the increase of the accuracy of these estimates, and thus equip doctors with a tool for reliable estimation of the chronological age of children and adolescents. In this study, the work on a fast and effective metamodel is continued. Metamodels have one great advantage over all other analog and quasidigital methods—if they are well trained, a priori, on a representative set of samples, then in the age-assessment phase, results are obtained in a fraction of a second and with little error (reduced to months). In the here-proposed method, the standard deviation for each estimate is additionally obtained, which allows the assessment of the certainty of each result. In this study, 619 pantomographic photos of 619 patients (296 girls and 323 boys) of different ages were used. In the numerical procedure, on the other hand, a metamodel based on the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and Gaussian processes (GP) were utilized. The accuracy of the trained model was up to 95%.

Several Conceptual Aspects Regarding International Adoption

Abstract Recently, international adoption has been in the spotlight of the legislator, which has established an increasingly favourable legal framework for approving this type of adoption, the specific procedures being improved, simplified and made more accessible. Therefore, we consider it appropriate to analyse in detail the notion of international adoption, as regulated in the national law, but also in international law, by reference to some jurisprudential references. In accordance with Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, unlike internal adoption, international adoption involves the participation of foreign and national organizations, whose involvement is carefully and even restrictively regulated by the national legislator. The present study proposes a description of the organizations involved mainly in international adoption, with reference to the provisions of GEO no. 121/2021 on the establishment of measures at the level of the central public administration and for the amendment and completion of some normative acts, which provides for the restructuring of the National Authority for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Children and Adoptions.

Psychological implications of the ‘Back to the Origins' journey for intercountry adoptees

One way in which intercountry adoptees can elaborate on their past history is through travelling to their country of birth. This article explores the memories and experiences recalled by a group of adoptees who visited their homeland after being adopted as children by Italian families. The sample comprised 34 participants aged between 12 and 40 years who visited their birth country between 2000 and 2013. In 2017–2018, they were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to obtain retrospective recall of their experiences and feelings on return to Italy, and how their ethnic identity and psychological well-being had been affected by the trip. The results revealed that the adoptees’ emotional experiences during the return visit significantly affected their feelings towards adoption itself and that it changed their sense of belonging both to Italy and the country where they were born. Most also perceived their return travel as a momentous occasion which increased their overall knowledge about their birth country and its culture. The results are significant for providing new information about how international adoptees incorporate their homeland culture into their lives.

Investigating Historical Abuses

Abstract This article investigates the phenomenon and practice of intercountry adoption from a historical perspective by using applied history methods. In particular, we employed the method of historicizing current concerns, such as the notion of abuses, and contextualizing them in history. With these methods, we contributed to the Dutch governmental assessment and evaluation of intercountry adoption, indicating that our findings (as laid down in the official report) need to be translated into revised governmental policies. In this paper, we describe how we applied our historicizing methods to intercountry adoption abuses by providing a narrative and genealogy of the topic. We also discuss the pitfalls and merits of conducting historical research into practices that are now considered immoral or unjust, but were long standard practice after intercountry adoption started in the Netherlands. In this way, we also contribute to the ongoing discussion on doing historical research in highly politicized contexts, where the danger of contributing to the ‘blame game’ often lies in wait.

Abstract DEB2-1: Pro - One Week of Whole Breast RT is the New Standard of Care

Abstract “Hypofractionation should not be used unless there is a specific rationale concerning the tumor characteristics of doing so”1. These were the words of Gilbert Fletcher, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas in 1990. So what prompted this bold statement? In 1969, Frank Ellis published his manuscript proposing an isoeffect formula for hypofractionation with a total dose reduction modelled on acute skin reactions2. The Ellis isoeffect formula was intended to be carefully tested, but there was wholesale international adoption as hypofractionation seemed a perfect solution for constrained radiotherapy resources3. This was coupled with lack of quality assurance for patient positioning, field matching and dose prescription. The perfect solution was in fact the perfect storm with many patients with breast cancer suffering serious late normal tissue toxicity including brachial plexopathy. The linear-quadratic model was described subsequently and separated the distinct fractionation sensitivities of early and late-responding normal tissue4. It became clear that total dose needed to be reduced further as the dose per fraction is increased3. In the early 1980’s, John Yarnold, Royal Marsden Hospital, UK read a research manuscript by Bruce Douglas5, which had a profound effect on him and subsequent UK breast radiation research. It challenged the accepted belief that all tumours respond to radiation fractionation in the same way as early-reacting normal tissues. Yarnold hypothesised that breast cancer is as sensitive to fraction size as late-responding normal tissues and if this is so, 2Gy fractions spare tumour and normal tissues equally. Given this apparent lack of advantage, larger fractions were worth testing. At the same time, other researchers globally started to develop breast cancer hypofractionation clinical trials. This important historical background sets scene for this debate: One week of whole breast radiation is the new standard of care. It demonstrates that there is nothing “new” about breast hypofractionation and that there is certainly a “specific rationale concerning the tumor characteristics” that Fletcher called for. It also highlights our united goal as radiation/clinical oncologists to carefully evaluate and report late normal toxicity so earlier mistakes are not repeated. Breast hypofractionation represents more than 3 decades of high quality international clinical trials underpinned by robust quality assurance6-9. The research has been driven by a strong radiobiological rationale and reduced visits for patients and savings for healthcare systems is a happy consequence. During this debate, I will describe the results of the FAST-Forward trial10, address the postulated concerns and conclude why one week of radiotherapy should be the new standard of care.

Bullying victimization among internationally adopted adolescents: Psychosocial adjustment and moderating factors.

Bullying constitutes a serious risk factor for the psychosocial adjustment of young people in both the general population and minority groups. Among minorities, international adoptees are likely to show a specific vulnerability to the experience of being bullied, moderated by specific risk and protective factors. This study aimed to investigate the association between adoptees’ experience of bullying victimization and their psychosocial adjustment, and to explore the moderating role of adoptive identity and reflected minority categorization. An online, anonymous self-report questionnaire was completed by 140 adolescents (13–17 years), who were internationally adopted by Italian families. Findings showed that being victimized was associated with higher levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties, but that the strength of this relation varied according to the levels of adoptive identity and reflected minority categorization. Specifically, victimization was found to have a more detrimental and negative impact on psychological adjustment for adoptees who were highly identified with the adoptive group, and reported to be less perceived by others as members of the minority group. Results are discussed in relation to recommendations for further research as well as for professionals working with internationally adopted adolescents.

Medical Problems of Internationally Adopted Children from Nepal

Background: Spain is one of the main countries in the world in international adoption, and Nepali children account for 0.8% of all adoptees. According to United Nations, Nepal is a poorly developed country. Due to the quality of medical care that Nepali children receive in orphanages, it has been reported that the diagnoses described in the pre-adoptive medical reports do not offer an absolute guarantee of accuracy, and sometimes these reports are not provided to adoptive families. The objective of this study was to describe epidemiological characteristics, pre-adoptive history, and medical problems observed in the post-adoption evaluation in a cohort of children adopted from Nepal. Material and Methods: Retrospective descriptive study on 11 Nepali adopted children from 2005 to 2011, examined according to a standardized protocol. Variables were collected from pre-adoption medical reports, interviews with the family, and post-adoption evaluation records. Results: Epidemiological characteristics and pre-adoptive history: females, 63.6%; all were abandoned and adopted from orphanages; mean age at institutionalization was 32 months, and at adoption was 55 months. 72.7% had a pre-adoptive medical report, and all were diagnosed as "healthy". 54.5% had a vaccination certificate. Medical problems most frequent diagnosed in post-adoption evaluation were iron deficiency anemia (72.7%), xerosis cutis (54.4%), neurodevelopmental delay (45.5%), underweight and stunting (36.4%), and acute bronchitis (36.4%). Only one child had a serious problem (cerebral palsy). The BCG vaccination scar was present in 81.8%. 72.7% showed vaccination immunity against hepatitis B virus. Conclusion: The pre-adoption medical information for the Nepali children was unreliable, and all showed more than one medical problem in the post-adoption evaluation. Adoptive families should seek pre-travel specialized medical advice regarding the medical reports and health of the child to be adopted, the updating of routine immunizations, and the destination-specific health problems.

Boards of a Feather: Homophily in Foreign Director Appointments Around the World

ABSTRACTWe examine how similarity in institutional, legal, and social characteristics between a firm's and its directors’ home countries, that is, country‐pair homophily, affects foreign director appointments. We estimate a gravity model that includes economic and geographic proximity and find that country‐pair homophily is a significant determinant of foreign director appointments to corporate boards. We also find that country‐pair homophily limits the appointments of foreign directors from high‐quality governance countries to firms located in low‐quality governance countries, which may reduce the role of board internationalization in promoting the global convergence of governance practices. We analyze changes in foreign director appointments around the international adoption of IFRS and Norway's gender‐quota rule and find a higher appointment likelihood for directors originating from countries that are institutionally and culturally similar to that of the firm. Our findings point to the critical role that country‐pair homophily plays in matching director to boards with implications for the diffusion of governance practices globally.

Birth country travel and adoptee identity

Since World War II, over one million children have faced international adoption. This represents involuntary relocations to receiving countries vastly different from their birth countries. Travel to birth countries has emerged as a way for international adoptees to explore their belonging and identities. Building on social identity theory, this paper employs an interpretative phenomenological analysis to unpack the role of birth country travel on adoptee identities. The study includes in-depth interviews with six Korean-American adoptees and a follow-up focus group to explore their combined 24 travel experiences to South Korea. The analysis reveals the complex and continuous process of adoptee identity exploration, setting the conditions for international adoptees to be a part of the diaspora tourism domain.

Deep Learning Neural Modelling as a Precise Method in the Assessment of the Chronological Age of Children and Adolescents Using Tooth and Bone Parameters.

Dental age is one of the most reliable methods for determining a patient’s age. The timing of teething, the period of tooth replacement, or the degree of tooth attrition is an important diagnostic factor in the assessment of an individual’s developmental age. It is used in orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, endocrinology, forensic medicine, and pathomorphology, but also in scenarios regarding international adoptions and illegal immigrants. The methods used to date are time-consuming and not very precise. For this reason, artificial intelligence methods are increasingly used to estimate the age of a patient. The present work is a continuation of the work of Zaborowicz et al. In the presented research, a set of 21 original indicators was used to create deep neural network models. The aim of this study was to verify the ability to generate a more accurate deep neural network model compared to models produced previously. The quality parameters of the produced models were as follows. The MAE error of the produced models, depending on the learning set used, was between 2.34 and 4.61 months, while the RMSE error was between 5.58 and 7.49 months. The correlation coefficient R2 ranged from 0.92 to 0.96.

Trgovina ljudima u okviru sistema međunarodnog usvojenja - (ne)rešiv problem?

The article explores the relationship between human trafficking and international adoption from the perspective of international (criminal) law. The article aims to indicate the specific position of international adoptions in relation to human traffic-king. To accomplish this goal, the article provides a review of relevant literature on this subject matter, including the views of authors who examined this relationship, with specific reference to current international documents in the field of human trafficking and international adoptions. The inadequate international documents on this matter and the authors' insufficent commitment to exploring this issue more thoroughly have generated different and often contradictory standpoints, and ultimately resulted in diverse and fairly liberal interpretation of certain international law provisions. The literature review allows us to observe the diversity of those views and the lack of common agreement among the authors, particularly on the basic concepts, which is one of the major hindrances in exploring this relationship. In the end, the author of this article suggest that an adequate solution may be the re-examination and reform of international law in the area of human trafficking and international adoptions, which would entail amending and supplementing the existing provisions or regulating illicit intercountry adoptions in a separate international document.

The Concept of Child Adoption in Nigeria and its Legal Effect under the Child’s Rights Act, 2003

Child adoption is the creation of family relationship between a child and another person(s) who is/are not the natural parents of the child. Many reasons account for child adoption, some of which are, orphaned children due to death, or disappearance of parents and infertility among couples. This article while utilizing doctrinal research approach discovered that many do not understand the effect of child adoption, thereby relegating its effects to mere temporary relationship like child fosterage, custody and guardianship of children without more. This article found that by the statutory provision and judicial pronouncements; upon the grant of an order of adoption, the rights, duties, obligations and liabilities of the adopted child move permanently from the natural parents and vest in the adoptive parent and vice versa. It is noted that the effect of adoption includes the rights of the child to take up the family name of the adoptive parent as his/her surname henceforth and the right to inheritance. The concept of child adoption is not without challenges ranging from resistance by many customary laws and religious practices and beliefs, prohibition of inter-state and inter-country adoption and the tendency of exploitation. The article recommends among others that for it to amount to adoption, same must be properly documented and registered. Also, the CRA should be amended to give room for inter-state or inter-country adoption.

The End of International Adoption? An Unraveling Reproductive Market and the Politics of Healthy Babies by Estye Fenton

The End of International Adoption? An Unraveling Reproductive Market and the Politics of Healthy Babies by Estye Fenton

Международно-правовое регулирование противодействия коррупции в государственном управлении Российской Федерации

The article analyses the provisions of the main international legal instruments against corruption in relation to the system of public administration of the Russian Federation. The authors emphasise that corruption poses a threat to the entire international community. Corrupt practices destabilise the functioning of state apparatuses of different countries, undermine the national economies and make the stable process of development of social and state institutions impossible. These circumstances have led to the international adoption of a number of legal instruments: the International Code of Conduct for Public Officials (1996), the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption (1999), the Civil Law Convention on Corruption (1999), the United Nations Convention against Corruption (2003) and others. These legal instruments set out the most effective forms and methods of combating corruption, which the participating countries can apply in their national legal systems. However, there are certain controversial and debatable aspects related to the implementation of the provisions of certain international legal acts against corruption. For example, the Russian Federation has not ratified the 1999 Convention on Civil Liability for Corruption or Article 20 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption of 2003. The authors conclude that there is now a need to strengthen the activities of the relevant authorities and officials to achieve better results in the fight against corruption. Anti-corruption measures need to be more actively implemented and applied not only in public authorities, but also in state and non-state enterprises and institutions. At present, work in these areas is being carried out, but not always in a quick, qualitative, consistent and systematic manner. The implementation of anti-corruption forms and methods is simply impossible without international cooperation due to the fact that corruption itself has ceased to be a problem of individual states. With this in mind, it is essential for Russia to strive for the widest possible application of anticorruption international legal instruments within the domestic legal system. In the conclusion of the article, the authors emphasise that the Russian Federation is actively and dynamically participating in the international legal regulation of anticorruption. Cooperation in this area has reached an exceptionally high level, which is recognised by many foreign partners. Ultimately, the application of international legal anticorruption measures in Russia will improve the system for combating corruption in public administration. The provisions of international instruments accumulate solid experience of many countries in this area. This experience can and should be used in our country. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.