Engagement in Racial Socialization Among Transracial Adoptive Families With White Parents

Hrapczynski, Katie M.; Leslie, Leigh A.

doi:10.1111/fare.12316

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These perceptions may shape TRA parents’ beliefs about raising TRA adoptees (A1) (Smith et al, 2011). Adoptive parents’ openness to and number of past multicultural experiences (E2) were positively related to their perceived discrimination (A1), feelings about racial minority groups (A1), and racial awareness (A1) (Hrapczynski & Leslie, 2018). Having faced discrimination themselves (E2), White lesbian adoptive parents felt they had unique strength in helping their children cope (A2) with stigma (Richardson & Goldberg, 2010); perhaps their prior coping experiences prepared them to cope with race-related bias.…”

Section: Process-oriented Transactional System Of Ethnic–racial Socializationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, parents may readily acknowledge cultural differences but vary in acknowledgment of racial differences (Bebiroglu & Pinderhughes, 2012; Tuan & Shiao, 2011). Parents who endorsed a colorblind racial attitude (A1) have been found to be less likely to provide cultural socialization (B1) (Hrapczynski & Leslie, 2018; Lee et al, 2006). Reflecting the impact of skin color and phenotypicality, when adoptees are biracial or light-skinned, their White adoptive parents may consider racial differences unimportant (A1) because their children looked like them.…”

Section: Process-oriented Transactional System Of Ethnic–racial Socializationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parents’ perceptions of their child and of bias are linked to ERS. Parents who were more cognizant of racism (A1) provided more preparation for bias (B1/B2) (Hrapczynski & Leslie, 2018). TRA parents of darker skinned children perceived more discrimination (A1), which was linked to externalizing symptoms among adoptees (C5) (Lee & MIAP, 2010).…”

Section: Process-oriented Transactional System Of Ethnic–racial Socializationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Unpacking complexities in ethnic–racial socialization in transracial adoptive families: A process-oriented transactional system

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Over 50% of adoptions are transracial, involving primarily White parents and children of color from different ethnic or racial backgrounds. Transracial adoptive (TRA) parents are tasked with providing ethnic–racial socialization processes (ERS) to support TRA adoptees’ ethnic–racial identity development and prepare them to cope with ethnic–racial discrimination. However, unlike nonadoptive families of color, TRA parents lack shared cultural history with adoptees and have limited experience navigating racial discrimination. Knowledge of ERS among TRA families has centered on unidirectional processes between parenting constructs, ERS processes, and children's functioning. However, ERS processes in this population have complexities and nuances that warrant more sensitive and robust conceptualization. This paper proposes a process-oriented dynamic ecological model of the system of ERS, situating transacting processes in and across multiple family levels (parent, adoptee, family) and incorporating developmental and contextual considerations. With its framing of the complexities in ERS among TRA families, the model offers three contributions: a conceptual organization of parenting constructs related to ERS, a more robust understanding of ERS processes that inform how parents provide ERS, and framing of transacting processes within and between parenting constructs, ERS processes, and children's functioning. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Process-oriented Transactional System Of Ethnic–racial Socializationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Process-oriented Transactional System Of Ethnic–racial Socializationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Process-oriented Transactional System Of Ethnic–racial Socializationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Unpacking complexities in ethnic–racial socialization in transracial adoptive families: A process-oriented transactional system

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The narratives in the book reflect this range, with some adoptive parents minimizing the role of race, others engaging in superficial discussions about race, and others emphasizing the importance of instilling positive messages about their child's race and engaging in behaviors to promote racial–ethnic pride. Families who recognize racial difference within the family and how race structures the lives of their child of color are more likely to connect their child to their culture of origin and prepare them to cope with discrimination (Berbery & O'Brien, 2011; Hrapczynski & Leslie, 2018). These racial socialization practices are linked to transracial adoptee well‐being (Montgomery & Jordan, 2018).…”

Section: Contextualizing Opennessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Open adoption and diverse families: Complex relationships in the digital age. Abbie E.Goldberg. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2019

Hrapczynski

2021

J of Family Theo & Revie

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Open Adoption and Diverse Families: Complex Relationships in the Digital Age, author and scholar Abbie E. Goldberg invites readers to deepen their understanding of the complexity and nuance open adoption presents. By the intricate interweaving of 132 adoptive parents' voices, Goldberg elucidates the diverse experiences of adoptive parents with a focus on those navigating openness. The text largely relies on rich description and direct quotes from interviews conducted at four points in time from preadoption to 8 years postadoption. A longitudinal approach enables her to speak to the ebbing and flowing of openness, both structural and communicative, over time, and is regarded as a strength. Although Goldberg identifies common themes in the parents' experiences, which serve as the backbone of the book, her writing also demonstrates that each family's journey is unique.Recent trends in adoption practice reveal a significant shift away from limited or no contact between adoptive and birth families toward encouraging some degree of openness (Wiley, 2017). Openness comes in many shapes and sizes, varying based on type, frequency, and duration of contact (Grotevant, 2012). On one end of the spectrum are closed or confidential adoptions, in which adoptive and birth families have no contact or exchange of information. In mediated adoptions, an agency facilitates the exchange of information without direct interaction between adoptive and birth families, while in fully disclosed adoptions, adoptive and birth families exchange identifying information and maintain some degree (or potential for) direct contact (Grotevant & McRoy, 1998). Families may exchange information and photographs; communicate via the phone, mail, email, Skype, and/or social media; and/or interact in person. These connections may begin prior to the birth of the child, shortly thereafter, or years later, and may fluctuate over time (Siegel & Smith, 2012). Brodzinsky (2005) refers to this contact as structural openness and distinguishes it from communicative openness: the degree of willingness to think about and engage in discussions about adoption. Structural openness and communicative openness have been shown to benefit adoptees' development and other members of the adoption kinship network, including adoptive parents and birth family members (Siegel & Smith, 2012).Qualitative investigation of adoptive parents' (Hays et al., 2016), birth mothers' (Clutter, 2017), and adoptees' (Berge et al., 2006) experiences with open adoption is not absent from the empirical literature. However, Goldberg's book provides an unmatched look into the perceptions of adoptive parents over time. The depth of the stories, the exploration of both structural openness and communicative openness, and the intersection of openness with other contemporary adoption trends all contribute to its success.

show abstract

“…Moreover, this theory affords family scientists the opportunity to ask questions related to the hows and whys of family life, including the process by which humans, individually and via group membership, interpret, explain, and evaluate lived experiences. There is a dearth of explicit application of symbolic interactionism in contemporary adoption literature, beyond the use of shared meaning of adoption experiences and adoption‐related communication (Baxter, Norwood, Ashbury, & Scharp, ; Brodzinsky, ; Suter & Ballard, ), adoptee identity formation (Hollingsworth, ; Patel, ), and postadoption racial socialization (Hrapczynski & Leslie, ). We argue that SI is underutilized and valuable for understanding and guiding research on other important aspects of adoption.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Symbolic Interactionism to Model Transitions to Adoptive Parenthood

Hepp

Hrapczynski

Fortner‐Wood

2019

J of Family Theo & Revie

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article focuses on symbolic interactionism and its utility when applied to adoptive families. We argue that Mead's (1934, 1956) theoretical concepts of self, generalized other, and shared meaning are underutilized tools for exploring prospective parents' decision of whether to adopt, the transition to adoptive parenthood, and subsequent family adjustment over time. We also advocate for the extension of salience to generalized other, in order to better understand and reflect prospective parents' perspectives of and experiences with adoption. We chose symbolic interactionism as a single theoretical framework to unify the extant adoption literature; in doing so, a conceptual model was developed to better illustrate the theoretical principles as they inform decision making and action taking across the transition to adoptive family life. The model posits six specific propositions that warrant further empirical exploration to test and refine its predictive utility.

show abstract

Engagement in Racial Socialization Among Transracial Adoptive Families With White Parents

Cited by 21 publications

References 32 publications

Unpacking complexities in ethnic–racial socialization in transracial adoptive families: A process-oriented transactional system

Unpacking complexities in ethnic–racial socialization in transracial adoptive families: A process-oriented transactional system

Open adoption and diverse families: Complex relationships in the digital age. Abbie E.Goldberg. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2019

Using Symbolic Interactionism to Model Transitions to Adoptive Parenthood

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About