Participation in the Adoption Mentoring Partnership: Mentors’ Experiences of Ethnic Identity

Abstract

The Adoption Mentoring Partnership (AMP) matches preadolescent adoptees with adopted college students, prioritizing matches of the same ethnic background. As part of AMP, participants actively discuss issues of ethnicity and adoption with a cohort of mentors over a period of 1 to 3 years in mentor group meetings (MGMs). This study focuses on mentors' perceptions of ethnic identity processes within the context of adoption during their participation in AMP. Thematic analysis is used to analyze two interviews from each of 12 internationally and transracially adopted mentors (8 females, 4 males; average age = 20.4 years; birth countries from Asia or Latin America). Four overarching domains emerged: personal ethnic identity exploration, communication with family members about adoption/ethnicity, social exchanges outside the family, and mentors' perceived personal meanings of ethnicity while participating in AMP. All mentors acknowledged degrees of ambivalence around ethnic identity, yet reported overwhelmingly positive feelings about participating in AMP.

Adoptive identity and adjustment from adolescence to emerging adulthood: A person-centered approach.

“…Our interview data have also shown us that adolescents and young adults think about their adoptions very frequently, even though they do not necessarily initiate discussions about it with their parents. In fact, they often inhibit the desire to raise adoption issues with their adoptive parents or their birth parents, for fear of upsetting them (Garber, French, & Grotevant, 2015; Wrobel, Grotevant, Samek, & Von Korff, 2013). Data from this study and the earlier work of Dunbar make it clear that there are significant individual differences in adoption concern among adolescents; parents may have one child who is significantly preoccupied by adoption issues, whereas another may not be interested, at least at that point in time.…”

Ethical Considerations in Adoption Research: Navigating Confidentiality and Privacy Across the Adoption Kinship Network

“…This is particularly relevant in instances in which the adopted child considers his or her adoptive parent(s) to be a barrier to seeking out more information about the birth parents. Reports from adopted adults reveal that some adoptees may be hesitant to actively seek out more information because they do not wish to hurt their adoptive parent (Garber, French, & Grotevant, 2015;Wrobel, Grotevant, Samek, & Von Korff, 2013). Adoptive parents may also not want their child to obtain such information.…”

Depth in Cultural Socialization in Families with Children Adopted from China

“…In a mentoring program matching adult TRAs with preadolescent adoptees, adult TRAs experienced ethnic identity exploration and reflection as mentors (Garber, French, & Grotevant, 2015). Some parents take the lead in CS but allow the child's voice to affect CS decisions; some parents let their children take the lead and provide what children ask for; some parents have negotiable activities (e.g., dance) and nonnegotiable activities (e.g., language).…”

“…Bidirectional influences also exist between adoptees and cultural experts. In a mentoring program matching adult TRAs with preadolescent adoptees, adult TRAs experienced ethnic identity exploration and reflection as mentors (Garber, French, & Grotevant, 2015). Future studies can examine how TRAs shape the relationship with cultural experts and how these bidirectional relationships contribute to identity development.…”