Abstract

A child's behavioral problems have been linked to dissatisfaction with adoption among adoptive parents. Some of the strongest risk factors for behavioral problems are a history of abuse and neglect and the number of foster care placements. Few studies have examined whether these risk factors vary by race, even though African American children are overrepresented in the child welfare system. Based on a survey of 83 African American adoptive families adopting African American children, this study examines whether behavioral risk factors found in past studies of (mainly) white adoptions are shared by African American children adopted by African American families. The findings point, first, to the positive behavioral findings for a majority of the adoptees. Where behavioral problems did occur, they were often correlated with different factors from those found in past research, including more relational factors, such as amount of enjoyable time parents and children spend together and, for example, how often the parent thinks of the child when they are separated.