Journal of Family Issues

French, Cynthia A.; Henney, Susan M.; Ayers-Lopez, Susan; McRoy, Ruth G.; Grotevant, Harold D.

doi: 10.1177/0192513X12472892pmid: N/A

This study investigates birth mothers’ perspectives on their relationships with birth fathers after adoption placement. A total of 125 birth mothers were interviewed 12 to 20 years postplacement about the nature of their relationship with the birth father and their satisfaction with their contact with the birth father both at the time of placement and currently. These interviews were part of a larger longitudinal study of birthparents, adoptive parents, adopted persons, and adoption agency personnel. Recalling the time of the adoption placement, birth mothers reported many negative feelings about the birth father. However, by 12 to 20 years after the adoption, birth mothers were moving toward a more neutral emotional stance regarding the birth father. Most of the birth mothers do not have current contact with the birth father, and of those who do, most characterize their relationship as friendship.

Park, Nicholas K.; Wonch Hill, Patricia

doi: 10.1177/0192513X13493277pmid: N/A

Americans have positive views of adoption, yet many never consider adoption. This study examined characteristics that predict whether women ever consider adoption as a pathway to motherhood using an analytic sample of 876 childless women from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers. Using Risman’s theory of gender as a social structure as a framework, we focused on the role of the importance of motherhood and infertility in predicting adoption consideration. Women who held higher levels of importance of motherhood and engaged in medical help-seeking for infertility were more likely to consider adoption at both the bivariate and multivariate levels. Women currently considering adoption were more likely to have seen a doctor for infertility, to have a high importance of motherhood, to be African American, and were generally older. Longitudinal research is needed to evaluate how views of adoption and the importance of motherhood change over time for individual women.

Ishizawa, Hiromi; Kubo, Kazuyo

doi: 10.1177/0192513X13514408pmid: N/A

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.

Jacobson, Heather

doi: 10.1177/0192513X13479333pmid: N/A

How is international adoption framed in the popular press? Do those framings shape adoption decision making? Using a multimethod approach of content analysis of newspaper reportage and in-depth interviews with international adoptive parents, this article examines the past two decades of popular press stories on international adoption and explores links between media frames and adoption decision making. Findings reveal that, although the majority of media frames on international adoption are negative, variations exist depending on the sending country profiled. Reportage on Russia adoption consists of more negative frames, whereas China adoption is more likely to be framed positively. These differences in media framings on Russia and China, the two most popular countries for international adoption into the United States from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, emerged in adoptive parents’ narratives of adoption decision making.

Jerome, Kelly; Sweeney, Kathryn A.

doi: 10.1177/0192513X13493278pmid: N/A

Few studies have systematically analyzed adoption-themed books for children or how birth parents are depicted. This article analyzes 104 books in English designated for children aged 4 to 8 years that are focused on adoption to understand how birth parents are portrayed. Findings indicate that birth parents are often represented with stereotypical, value-based, and cultural perceptions, resulting in an inability to care for children as the reasons or choices for adoption placement. As parents rely on books to develop narratives and to socialize children, the lack of accurate depictions of birth parents and the structural barriers they face has implications for adoptee understanding of adoption and for adoptee adjustment and identity.

Mohanty, Jayashree

doi: 10.1177/0192513X13500962pmid: N/A

This study aimed to understand the factors that influence attitudes toward adoption in Singapore. Using a multistage, quota sampling method, 1,200 Singaporean citizens and permanent residents were interviewed. The results indicate that the majority of the respondents approved adoption as a family form. Logistic regression analysis showed that individual characteristics (women and income) and factors such as the importance of blood ties, adoption-related altruistic values, and familiarity with adoption were related to adoption approval. The factors that influenced intention to adopt were women, familiarity with adoption, and approval of adoption. Individuals who perceived the importance of blood ties in familial relationships and had concerns about the outcomes of adopted children (adjustment problems, behavioral problems, medical problems, etc.) were less likely to have considered adopting. The findings point to the need to increase awareness among the public and to promote adoption as a rewarding and responsible choice for family formation.