Adoptive Families: Outcomes for Young Adults

Although almost two-thirds of Americans have personal experience with adoption through their own family or close friends, sensationalized media presentations continue to reinforce negative stereotypes about adoptees. Because adoption practice has changed so dramatically in the past 40 years, the field lacks adequate scientific understanding of the basic interpersonal processes in adoptive families and how they are connected to psychological and social outcomes for children, adolescents, and young adults. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Harold Grotevant and colleagues are conducting the third wave of a longitudinal study of variations in openness in adoption, which refers to a continuum of contact and communication among members of the adopted child's family of birth and family of rearing. The continuum ranges from confidential (no contact and no identifying information shared) to mediated (communication occurs indirectly through a third party such as an adoption agency) to fully disclosed (communication and contact occur directly between parties). In two prior waves of research, 190 adoptive families were studied when the target children were in middle childhood and adolescence. The current work follows the study's participants across the transition into young adulthood (age 20-28) and asks how the quality of children's relationships while growing up predict the quality of their close relationships outside their families, their social adjustment, and their sense of identity as young adults.

This study will contribute valuable empirical research findings to the national debate about 'the best interests of the child' in cases of adoption. These findings will help shape agency and state policies about contact between adoptive and birth family members. Another broader impact is that undergraduate and graduate students involved in the research are mentored in an interdisciplinary setting, as the study of adoption draws on psychology, sociology, economics, public policy, social work, and anthropology. This strength will be reflected in the development of information for the public that will contribute to a more accurate portrayal of adoptees' strengths, successes, and challenges.