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[FONT=Arial]Very comprehensive study from Nov 2009 about identity formation among international and transracial adoptees. The study contains interesting comparisons between the experiences of Caucasian and Korean adult adoptees. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]I think this study will be of particular interest to international adoptees as well as their adoptive parents, particularly those who ask FAQs like: "now that I've adopted a child from overseas, what advice do you have for me to help my child grow into a healthy, happy person?"[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Key questions examined in the study (excerpts from page 20)[/FONT][FONT=Arial]:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial] How important are racial/ethnic identity and adoptive identity for adopted individuals over their lifespan (at different developmental stages)?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]׷ How do adult Korean transracial adoptees and White same-race adoptees differ in their ethnic identification? What factors are associated with strong ethnic identification among Korean adoptees?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial] How do adult, Korean-born transracial adoptees differ from White adopted adults in their perceived comfort with their racial/ethnic identity and adoptive identity? What factors are associated with greater comfort with these identities?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]׷ What contributes to the shift in ethnic self-identification for Korean transracial adoptees as they age from childhood to adulthood?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial] What experiences do adopted adults identify as being most helpful in achieving a healthy identity as transracially/transculturally adopted persons?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Some interesting excerpts/findings:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]1. Ethnic/racial identity became more important over time for the Korean adoptees than the White adoptees (page 30).[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]2. [/FONT][FONT=Arial]While slightly over one-third of the respondents [/FONT][FONT=Arial](36%) considered themselves to be Caucasian as children and adolescents, as adults they were far more likely to identify as Korean American (64%) and less as Caucasian (11%) (page 11).[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]3. Positive racial/ethnic identity development is most effectively facilitated by “lived” experiences such as travel to native country, attending racially diverse schools, and having role models of their own race/ethnicity (page 6).[/FONT]
Also pages 37 and 43 have interesting at-a-glance tables on "[FONT=Helvetica-Narrow-Bold][FONT=Helvetica-Narrow-Bold]Factors Contributing to a Shift in Racial/ethnic Identity for Asian Respondents" and "[FONT=Helvetica-Narrow-Bold][FONT=Helvetica-Narrow-Bold]Experiences & Services Utilized and Perceived as Helpful to Very Helpful in Forming Identity".[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
Extensive Review of Research on Racial/Ethnic Identity in International Adoption
The study's Appendix also contains a very extensive (nearly 40-pages) review of various studies on a range of topics regarding transracial identity (see page 72). Here's an excerpt that indicates some 'positive' and 'not-so-positive' findings from other studies:
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"In a more recent comparison of the adjustment of Black, Asian/Indian, interracial and White adoptees to non-adopted siblings, the majority of children in transracial adoptive families were
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[FONT=Georgia][FONT=Georgia]well-adjusted (Weinberg, Waldman, van Dulmen, & Scarr, 2004). However, for almost every indicator, the adoptees (regardless of race) were more likely to be perceived by parents as having poorer adjustment than birth offspring. The researchers also found that, on average, adoptees functioned worse in adolescence and young adulthood than did those born into these families" (page 95).[/FONT][/FONT]
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[URL="http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/publications/2009_11_BeyondCultureCamp.pdf"][FONT=Arial]http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/publications/2009_11_BeyondCultureCamp.pdf[/FONT][/URL]
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