National Survey Of Adoptive Parents Research Articles

WHY DO U.S. PARENTS PREFER PRIVATE TO FOSTER CARE ADOPTIONS? THE ROLE OF ADOPTION SUBSIDIES, GENDER, RACE, AND SPECIAL NEEDS

We analyze the demand behavior of adoptive parents in the U.S.A. For the theory, we apply vertical product differentiation to characterize the demand for domestic private, foster care and international adoptions. Then, we use the 2007 U.S. National Survey of Adoptive Parents and apply the control‐function approach to a mixed logit model. We find interesting insights into the relationship between adoption choices and an adoptive parent's preferences over gender, race, and special needs. The government needs to pay an additional $735 ($506) a month to make a parent feel indifferent between international (domestic private) and foster care adoptions. (JEL O12, D10, L13)

Cultural activities in transracially adoptive families

ABSTRACT The current study investigated how engagement in cultural activities impacted transracial adoptive parent satisfaction with adoption, closeness with child, and child academic outcomes. Data from the National Survey of Adoptive Parents were analyzed to expand upon previous studies. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to determine a “cultural activities” variable that consisted of five items. Results of regression analyses demonstrated significant associations between cultural activities and parent satisfaction with adoption, cultural activities and closeness with child, and cultural activities and child academic performance. A cultural receptivity process model informs the advocacy of cultural activity engagement in transracially adoptive families.

The effects of adoption openness and type on the mental health, delinquency, and family relationships of adopted youth

ABSTRACTAnalyzing the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents, this study examines the impact of open adoption, demographics, and other factors on adopted children’s mental health, delinquent behavior, and family relationships. Specifically, we compare findings for youth in private and public (i.e., foster care) adoptions and identify key similarities and differences between predictors of children’s well-being across these two types of adoption. We find that youth in open foster care adoptions are more likely to receive an attachment disorder diagnosis than those in closed foster care adoptions but are also more likely to have family relationships characterized by trust and adoptive parents’ willingness to recommend adoption to others. Further, we find children in both public and private adoptions who are older at placement are more likely to have posttraumatic stress disorder diagnoses. For children in private adoptions, no statistically significant predictors affected youths’ delinquency outcomes or family relationships, with the exception of parents of private adoptees in households characterized by lower levels of poverty indicating they would be more likely to recommend adoption to others. The implications of the key findings are discussed with regard to service provision for multiple types of adoptive families.

The Postadoption Needs of Adoptive Parents of Children With Disabilities

Adoptions of children with disabilities are considered special needs, due to the higher level of support needed pre- and postadoption by families and children for adoptions to succeed. Despite this fact, very few studies examine the specific postadoption experiences of families with children with disabilities. Using secondary analysis of a national survey of adoptive parents, as well as interviews and a focus group with adoptive parents in one state, this study examines families’ with adopted children with disabilities challenges and unmet needs after adoption, as well as the postadoption needs and experiences of adoptive families with children with developmental and intellectual disabilities and adoptive families of children with emotional, behavioral, and mental health disabilities. Findings indicate that families with children with disabilities do report higher rates of challenges and barriers to service access, and that this is particularly true in families with adopted children with emotional, behavioral, and mental health disabilities. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Adopted children's country of origin and post-adoption parent–child relationship quality: Findings from the United States National Survey of Adoptive Parents (NSAP)

In this paper, we investigated adoptive parent–child relationship quality as a function of the adopted children's country of origin, pre-adoption adversity, age at placement, age, gender, and special healthcare needs status. From the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents (NSAP; N=2089), we identified 1906 families that had adopted children from the US foster care system, US private agencies, China, Guatemala, Russia and South Korea. Regression analysis showed that when country of origin was the sole predictor, adoption from the US private agencies (β=.18, p<.001), China (β=.21, p<.001), Russia (β=.06, p<.05) and South Korea (β=.07, p<.05) predicted higher parent–child relationship quality score than adoption from the US foster care system (referent) (R2=5.59%). Adoption from Guatemala was not different from adoption from the US foster care system in parent–child relationship quality (β=−.01, p>.10). In the absence of country of origin, being a boy (β=−.10, p<.05), older age at placement (β=−.20, p<.001), older age (β=−.11, p<.001), having special healthcare needs (β=−.19, p<.001), and more pre-adoption adversity (β=−.08, p<.05) all significantly predicted lower parent–child relationship quality scores (R2=17.56%). When country of origin and the above variables were entered into the regression model simultaneously, being a boy, age at placement, age, and special healthcare needs status remained significant. However, none of the countries of origin except China (β=.07, p<.05) remained significant in predicting higher parent–child relationship score. Our findings showed that the unique circumstances that fueled the availability of children from different countries to become available for adoption played some role in parent–child relationship quality. However, the adopted children's gender, age at placement, age, and special healthcare needs were more predictive of post-adoption parent–child relationship quality.

“Great Expectations” of Adoptive Parents

Most of the 2 million adoptive parents in the United States make the transition to parenting successfully. Adoptive parents who do not make the transition easily may put their children at risk for negative outcomes. The aim of this study was to further refine Foli's midrange theory of postadoption depression, which postulates that fulfillment of expectations is a principal contributor to parental emotional health status, aggravation, and bonding. The linked dataset (National Survey of Children's Health and National Survey of Adoptive Parents) was used for structural equation modeling. The sample consisted of 1,426 parents with adopted children who had been placed in the home more than 2 years before survey completion. Special services and child's behaviors were direct determinants of parental expectations, and parental expectations were direct determinants of parental aggravation and parentalbonding. As anticipated, parental expectations served as a mediator between child-related variables and parental outcomes. A path was also found between child's behaviors and special services and parental emotional health status. Child's past trauma was also associated with parental bonding. Parental expectations showed direct relationships with the latent variables of parental aggravation and bonding. Future research should examine factors associated with early transition when children have been in the adoptive home less than 2 years and include specific expectations held by parents.

Factors Affecting Adoption Decisions

As adoption of a child from abroad and from the state’s foster care system is increasingly practiced, prospective adoptive parents now have several options: private domestic, foster care, or international adoption. However, little research has been conducted on the similarities and differences in the characteristics of the child and family and the decision-making process by adoption type. We therefore ask: How are the characteristics of the child and family associated with the type of adoption? And what factors are considered important for adoptive parents in deciding whether to choose private domestic or international adoption? Using the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents, we found that attributes of the child and family differ by the type of adoption, and while adoptive parents expressed a preference to resemble a biologically formed family, the emphasis was placed differently by adoption type.

Post-adoption service need and access: Differences between international, kinship and non-kinship foster care

Abstract Post-adoption services are important to bolster a family's commitment to their adopted children, thus avoiding potential problems following adoption finalization. It is vitally important to assess post-adoption services in an effort to ensure families are provided with effective supports for successful family functioning. Few investigators have assessed service needs and access according to adoptive family type. This study focuses on international, foster care kin and foster care non-kin adoption types. Utilizing the National Survey of Adoptive Parents, this research investigated twelve post-adoption services. Two comparisons were made with respect to whether, according to the adoptive parents, post-adoption services were received or not received: 1) international and foster care non-kin adoptive families; and 2) foster care kin and foster non-kin adoptive families. International non-kin families were more likely to indicate they discussed post-adoption services than foster care non-kin families, particularly among those who were white, had adopted boys, had no other children in the home, and whose socio-economic background was lower. When comparing foster care non-kin families with kinship families, non-kin families tended to receive more desired services than kinship families, with kinship families indicating less need for services. Policy efforts and program design need to focus on reaching out to families and developing effective post-adoption services based on the expressed needs of families.

Preadoption adversities and postadoption mediators of mental health and school outcomes among international, foster, and private adoptees in the United States.

Adopted children are a heterogeneous group, varying along numerous factors, including type of adoption (international, foster, private), length of exposure to preadoption adversities as indexed by age of adoption, history of preadoption maltreatment, and prenatal substance exposure. Yet, we know little about how these adversity factors are mediated by quality of postadoption parent-child relationships and/or the presence of special health care needs to produce specific child outcomes across different groups of U.S. adopted children. This study uses structural equation modeling to analyze cross-sectional data from the National Survey of Adoptive Parents to investigate differences in outcomes among three groups of U.S. adopted children: international, foster, and private. SEM results indicate that compared with privately adopted children, (a) children adopted from the foster care system were more likely to be identified with special health care needs, and (b) internationally adopted children showed on average poorer school performance as indexed by math and reading. Analyses yielded both direct and indirect paths between preadoption adversities and child outcomes, with the majority of associations mediated or partially mediated by quality of parent-child relationships and/or special health care needs status. The results of these analyses highlight the heterogeneity among different groups of adopted children within the United States and also underline the important mediating roles that the quality of parent-child relationship and children's special health care needs status have on adopted children's selected mental health and academic outcomes.

Parental Perceptions of Adopted Children's Educational Outcomes

This study looks at the educational outcomes of adopted children as perceived by their parents. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were performed using data from the 2007–2008 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Our findings suggest that adoptive parents believe math and reading performance to be affected by special health care needs and household income. The odds of truancy and suspension are also believed to be affected by special heath care needs and gender. Though educational disruptions are infrequent, few adopted children perform at or above average in reading or math. These findings can be used to inform policy makers about post-adoption services.

Family Trends and Transracial Adoption in the United States

Several demographic trends have changed family formation in the United States resulting in fewer babies being made available for adoption. At the same time the number of transracial adoptions appears to be increasing. We use the 5% Public Use Microdata Sample of the 2000 census and the National Survey of Adoptive Parents to examine the social and demographic characteristics of those who adopt transracially. Transracial adoption of Hispanic and Asian children, but not Black children, is associated with higher income and education levels. It is less likely in the South, but more likely among those who have had military experience.

Open Adoption and Post-Adoption Birth Family Contact: A Comparison of Non-Relative Foster and Private Adoptions

This study used data from the National Survey of Adoptive Parents (NSAP) to compare post-adoption contact in families with non-relative private domestic and foster care adoptions. This study is the first to use a nationally representative sample to examine and compare the extent of post-adoption contact in both private and foster adoptions. The results suggest that children adopted from foster care were less likely to experience post-adoption contact with their birth families than children adopted privately despite the fact that they were more likely to have lived with their birth families.

Adoptive parents' suspicion of preadoption abuse of their adopted children and the use of support services

Adopted children have a higher risk of developmental, mental, behavioural and social problems compared with non-adopted children, and their use of postadoption support services is of interest. Little attention has been given to the impact of preadoption abuse on the use of these services, and therefore this study examines whether or not adoptive parents' suspicion of preadoption abuse has a significant impact on the use of support services by adopted children. Data from the National Survey of Adoptive Parents, a US nationally representative survey of adopted children, were used to examine parents' suspicion of preadoption abuse and its effects on the use of postadoption support services by children aged 6-17 years (n = 1411). Statistical analyses were used to examine the relationship between suspected abuse and the use of support services while controlling for characteristics of the adopted child and adoptive parents/household. Seven out of 10 adopted children have used some form of support service, and a larger percentage of 6- to 12-year-old children suspected of experiencing preadoption abuse used a support service compared with children not suspected of experiencing abuse. Significant relationships existed between various types of suspected preadoption abuse and the use of different types of postadoption support services. These relationships may go unaccounted for when only examining if any preadoption abuse occurred, or if any support service was used. The type of preadoption abuse suspected appears to play a modest role in predicting the type of postadoption support services used by an adopted child. Giving further attention to understanding the relationship between different types of preadoption abuse and types of postadoption support services may help better understand the problems and difficulties experienced by adopted children.

Commentary: Research Possibilities Using the National Survey of Adoptive Parents

The analyses presented in this special issue of Adoption Quarterly represent merely the beginning in terms of the research possibilities inherent in the National Survey of Adoptive Parents (NSAP), and much remains to be examined. This commentary summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of the data and suggests research possibilities that remain to be addressed. Information is provided about possibilities for linking NSAP data to data from the National Survey of Children's Health, from which respondents were recruited, as well as on accessing restricted data through the National Center for Health Statistics’ Research Data Center.

The National Survey of Adoptive Parents: An Introduction to the Special Issue of Adoption Quarterly

This article describes the background, design, and operation of the first-ever large-scale nationally representative population survey regarding adopted children across adoption types. The National Survey of Adoptive Parents (NSAP) was administered to 2,089 adoptive parents between April 2007 and July 2008, including parents of 545 children adopted internationally, 763 children adopted from the U.S. foster care system, and 781 children adopted from private domestic sources. The survey includes information on the characteristics, well-being, and service utilization of adopted children and their families. These data can be used by researchers to explore a broad range of topics related to adoption.

Exploring Motivations to Adopt

This study used National Survey of Adoptive Parents (NSAP) data to explore adoptive parent motivations. Examination of adoption motivation is important as it relates to recruitment of adoptive families for children needing homes. Findings show that families using the three main types of adoption—foster care, private domestic, and international—have somewhat similar motivations for adopting. Infertile couples are found within each adoption type and are happy with their choice. While many families adopting more than one child choose the same adoption type for each adoption, many families do not, choosing to adopt their children through different means.

The Well-Being of U.S. Children Adopted From Foster Care, Privately From the United States and Internationally

This article examines differences in the well-being of American children adopted from foster care, from other domestic sources, and from international sources using the National Survey of Adoptive Parents with data merged from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. The authors explore the independent associations of child, parent, and family factors such as age of adoptive placement, transracial placement, socioeconomic status, and family structure with 8 child well-being indicators on which children adopted from foster care fare tend to fare worse than other adopted children. Covariates explain the association of adoption type with well-being for 5 out of 8 indicators.

Cultural Socialization Practices in Domestic and International Transracial Adoption

This study explored cultural socialization practices, their relationship to demographic-, child-, and adoption-related factors, and parents’ perceptions of closeness and satisfaction with adoption among international and domestic transracially adopted children. Data from the National Survey of Adoptive Parents indicated that parents rely on socialization practices that require little to no integration with people of the children's race/ethnicity. Participation in post-adoption support groups, education, and online resources were related to cultural socialization practices. Two of nine practices were related to international transracial adoptive parent's perceptions of closeness with their child and satisfaction with adoption. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Adoptive Family Relationships and Healthy Adolescent Development: A Risk and Resilience Analysis

This study used a risk and resilience perspective and the catch-up model of adoption to analyze data from the National Survey of Adoptive Parents for 701 adopted adolescents. Structural equation models showed that better parent-child relationship quality was significantly associated with reduced odds of skipping school, being suspended, and reporting substance abuse or police trouble, when demographic variables and the pre-placement abuse/neglect factor were controlled. Better parent-child relationships also were associated with better performance in language arts, but not in mathematics. In general, few differences in the pattern of significant relationships were observed for a transracial adoptee subset of adolescents.

Adoption Quarterly Special Double Issue: Using Data From the National Survey of Adoptive Parents

Adoption Quarterly Special Double Issue: Using Data From the National Survey of Adoptive Parents