Romanian Child Research Articles

Experiences of Dutch families who parent an adopted Romanian child.

The pilot phase of a longitudinal study of 83 children (response 86%) adopted from Romania is reported; the present status of the children is compared with the past status on the basis of parental recollection. At placement, the average age of the children was 2.9 years; at the time of the interview of the adoptive parents, the average age of the children was 6.8 years. At placement, 67% of the adoptive parents needed professional help, and 10% of the children were infected with Hepatitis B. Only 13% did not show any important psychosocial problems. The number of psychosocial problems reported by the parents at placement predicts 69% of the lag of development observed 4 years later; the age of arrival adds up to 72%. Most problems still exist 4 years after placement; however, no disruptions of the adoption have taken place yet.

Adopting Romanian Children

SUMMARY This paper is a preliminary investigation into the experiences of adoptive mothers of Romanian children. As a case study of international adoption, this research focuses on the following questions: What were the important choices over which families wanted control? What risks were they willing to take to complete an adoption? How did the specific circumstances in Romania and the respondents' own efforts influence their ability to maximize choices and minimize risks? This paper is primarily descriptive, linking economic, demographic, and political factors to the very private experience of people creating families through international adoption. The respondents adopted children from Romania in 1990 and 1991. Eight married mothers were interviewed in depth. They were selected through their participation in a “mother's group,” an informal association established initially by the adoption agency through which most adopted their children. In the “group” they socialize and discuss issues relevant to adoption in general and Romania in particular. The group also serves as a play group for children who share a Romanian heritage. One respondent had a peripheral relationship to the group, while the rest were active participants. Their experiences are not intended to represent Romanian adoption on the whole. The semi-structured interviews were tape recorded with the consent of the respondents, and lasted about two hours each. To protect confidentiality, no names of respondents or their family members have been used. Where direct quotations are used, there has been some editing for clarity, but no change to content. As an adoptive mother of a Romanian child and a participant-observer in the “mother's group,” I come to this study with some information gathered through my own experience in the adoption process, but mostly with a great deal of curiosity about what is shared among those who adopt.