Given ongoing controversy regarding the psychosocial adjustment of adoptees, this study examined the impact of adoptive status and family experiences on adult attachment security, and the role of attachment in predicting relationship outcomes. Adults who were adopted as infants (N = 144), and a comparison sample of nonadoptees (N = 131), completed measures of attachment security at recruitment and again six months later; other measures assessed parental bonding and adoptees' reunion experiences (Time 1), and relationship variables (e.g., loneliness, relationship quality; Time 2). Insecurity was higher for adoptees and for those reporting negative childhood relationships with parents. For adoptees only, recent relationship difficulties also predicted insecurity. Attachment dimensions were more important than adoptive status in predicting relationship variables, and mediated the effects of adoptive status. The results support the utility of attachment theory in understanding adoptees' relationship concerns. 3Consistent with the suggestion that adoption is a risk factor for general adjustment problems (Verrier, 1993), some studies have shown that adoptees are overrepresented in clinical groups (Wierzbicki, 1993), or fare worse than non-adoptees on variables such as self-esteem, depression and anxiety (e.g., Borders, Penny, & Portnoy, 2000;Cubito & Obremski-Brandon, 2000;Tieman, van der Ende, & Verhulst, 2005). However, other studies comparing adoptees and non-adoptees have found no differences in psychological distress (Collishaw, Maughan, & Pickles, 1998) or life satisfaction (Borders et al., 2000). Indeed, recent reviews and meta-analyses suggest that most adoptees are well-adjusted, although there is evidence of over-representation in mental health settings and small increases in rates of behavior problems Nickman et al., 2005;van IJzendoorn, Juffer, & Klein Poelhuis, 2005). Hence, the claim that adoption is a risk factor for general adjustment difficulties remains controversial. Further, the reason for the mixed findings is unclear: Methodological (sampling and measurement) differences between studies may be one factor, but another possibility is that the link between adoption and adjustment depends on a range of factors, both biological (e.g., prenatal drug exposure) and psychosocial (e.g., functioning within the adoptive family).Despite the mixed findings for general adjustment, there are convincing arguments linking adoption to increased risk of interpersonal problems. Issues concerning loss are inherently relational, and are central to the adoption experience: Adoptees have lost their birth parents, and more generally, a sense of being biologically tied to significant others (Brodzinsky, 1990;Jones, 1997;Schechter & Bertocci, 1990); further, there is a 'status loss' associated with being different (Brodzinsky, 1990). Moreover, in cases where attempted reunions with birth relatives are difficult or unsuccessful, adoptees may experience further loss and rejection. Finally, in comparison to parental lo...

Adult adoptees (n = 100) and non-adoptees (n = 100) were compared with regard to selfesteem, identity processing style, and parental bonding. While some differences were found with regard to self-esteem, maternal care, and maternal overprotection, these differences were qualified by reunion status such that only reunited adoptees differed significantly from nonadoptees. Moreover, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that parental bonding and identity processing style were more important than adoptive status per se in predicting selfesteem. Implications for practitioners who work with adoptees are discussed.Keywords: adoptees, reunion, bonding, counselling, identity, self-esteem. Adult Adoptees 3Parental Bonding and Identity Style as Correlates of Self-Esteem Among Adult Adoptees and Non-AdopteesThe development of a healthy self-esteem is an important indicator of psychological adjustment, with self-esteem being related to numerous emotional, cognitive, and behavioral variables (Leary & MacDonald, 2003). Compared with those who have low self-esteem, people with high self-esteem tend to be less anxious and depressed (Battle, Jarratt, Smit, & Precht, 1988), less likely to use illicit drugs (Taylor & Del Pilar, 1992), more socially skilled (Buhrmester, Furman, Wittenberg, & Reis, 1988), and more likely to have a secure attachment style (Meyers, 1998). A related concept, namely the establishment of a wellintegrated identity, is also indicative of optimal psychological functioning (Waterman, 1992).Indeed for Erikson (1980), self-esteem and identity development were inextricably linked. He argued that "self-esteem, confirmed at the end of each major crisis, grows to be a conviction that one is learning effective steps toward a tangible future, that one is developing a defined personality within a social reality which one understands" (pp. 94-95).While all individuals have to grapple with issues of self-esteem and identity throughout their lives, adoption has sometimes been conceptualized as a risk factor that undermines healthy development in these areas. For example, adoptees often score lower than non-adoptees on self-esteem (Levy-Shiff, 2001), and numerous authors have argued that the process of identity development is longer and more complex for adoptees (Grotevant, 1997b;Hoopes, 1990). Not only do adoptees have to come to terms with their emerging sense of self in the context of the family and culture into which they have been adopted (Grotevant, 1997a), but those who reunite with one or more birth relatives have the added task of integrating their biological and adoptive identities. Thus, in any study investigating selfesteem and identity development in adoptees, it would seem important to also include family variables and reunion data. We have done so in the current study by including parental bonding and reunion status as two of the variables of interest.Adult Adoptees 4The current study has three main aims. First, we investigated the relationship between adoptive status and three psychosocial var...

Eighteen adoptees who had met both their birth mothers and birth fathers were surveyed in order to determine (a) the types of post-reunion relationships they developed with each birth parent and (b) the factors that facilitated or hindered their reunions. While adoptees were more likely to develop a personal rather than non-personal relationship with birth mothers, relationships with birth fathers were more evenly divided between personal and non-personal relationships. Thematic analysis revealed some similarities in the factors that influence reunions with each birth parent (e.g., birth parent characteristics, support from others), though some differences also emerged (e.g., reactions to pregnancy and relinquishment). Issues of kinship, identity, and family structure are discussed, along with implications for counseling.

Qualitative data were analyzed to identify factors associated with adoptees' satisfactions or dissatisfactions in their contact experiences with their birth fathers. Participants were 17 women who had been adopted prior to 2 years of age and had subsequently met their birth fathers. All women completed a questionnaire and 7 also took part in a semistructured interview. Four main themes were identified that affected satisfaction with contact: birth fathers' attributes and behavior, adoptees' attributes (e.g., expectations), behavior of others (e.g., birth mother, birth father's family, and adoptive parents), and circumstances of the conception and relinquishment. The implications of these findings for members of the adoption triangle and those providing postadoption services are discussed.