Reunions between Adoptees and Birth Patents: The Adoptees' Experience

Campbell, Lee; Silverman, Phyllis R.; Patti, Patricia

doi:10.1093/sw/36.4.329

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Even if adoptive parents are unable to answer their adoptive child's questions, adoptees take note of their parents' willingness to discuss adoption-related issues (Campbell, Silverman, & Patti, 1991).…”

Section: Boundary Management Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adoptive family members communicated about birth family contact in such a way that it seemed to be a taboo subject, leading these adoptees to remain silent about the importance of their biological family ties. A lack of adoption-related communication also can lead adoptees to perceive that their adoption is a subject best left untouched (Campbell et al, 1991;Powell & Afifi, 2005). Adoptees infer that their adoptive parents are threatened by this type of discussion and are less likely to search for their birth parents, regardless of their own interest (Powell & Afifi, 2005).…”

Section: Perspectives On Birth Family Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adoptees infer that their adoptive parents are threatened by this type of discussion and are less likely to search for their birth parents, regardless of their own interest (Powell & Afifi, 2005). As adoptees struggle with the decision of whether to make contact with birth family members, they often consider their adoptive parents' feelings as well as their own (Campbell et al, 1991;Powell & Afifi, 2005).…”

Section: Perspectives On Birth Family Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the decision to search for and make contact with birth family is complex. Adoptees consider many factors when deciding to search, including their own curiosity, the feasibility of contact, and their adoptive parents' attitudes and feelings toward birth family contact (Campbell et al, 1991). (Brodzinsky, 2006;Wrobel et al, 2004).…”

Section: Perspectives On Birth Family Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Not all adoptive parents are uncomfortable with their child's decision to search for birth family members, however. Not only are some adoptive parents quite supportive and encourage their adoptive children to make contact with their birth parents (Campbell et al, 1991;MacDonald & McSherry, 2013), but also some adoptive parents anticipate contact with birth families before the adoption process is completed (Depp, 1982;Norwood & Baxter, 2011). Some of these prospective adoptive parents express a desire for an interdependent relationship with their child's birth mother, acknowledging the possibility that the adopted child and birth mother might engage in contact in the future (Norwood & Baxter, 2011).…”

Section: Perspectives On Birth Family Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“To Meet Her, that Changed Everything”: Adult Adoptees’ Discursive Construction of the Meaning of “Parent” following Birth Parent Contact

Anzur

Myers

2019

Journal of Family Communication

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This dissertation examined the competing discourses that emerged as adult adoptees constructed the meaning of the term "parent" following contact with a birth parent. As a type of nontraditional family, adoptees have "dual membership" (Colaner, Halliwell, & Guignon, 2014) in both their adoptive and birth families. When making contact with a birth parent, adoptees may have to renegotiate the meaning of the term "parent" to include the birth parent. Relational Dialectics Theory (Baxter, 2011; Baxter & Montgomery, 1996) was used because it is an interpretive theory that allows researchers to study contradictory feelings-or competing discourses-that emerge in nontraditional families. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 adult adoptees who had made contact with a birth parent. Contrapuntal analysis (Baxter, 2011) uncovered two primary discourses that emerge as participants constructed a definition of "parent" following contact with their birth parent. The first discourse, discourse of parent as a specific person (DPSP), emerged when participants felt that "parent" referred exclusively to their adoptive parents; these participants did not change their definition of "parent" when they made contact with their birth parent. The second discourse, discourse of parent as a label (DPL), emerged when participants defined "parent" as a flexible role that could be filled by multiple people. These participants felt that their definition of "parent" changed only after making contact with their birth parent, and they included their birth parent in their definition of "parent." These discourses demonstrated interplay through negating, countering, and entertaining. The results of this dissertation add to the body of literature on adoptive family communication and RDT, and have implications for adoption practitioners. Three primary limitations should be considered: the use of a sample recruited from an adoption forum, the use of a sample that is not representative of the adoptee population, and three assumptions of birth family contact that were made prior to data collection. Despite these limitations, the results offer potential avenues of research for adoptive family communication researchers. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This is the part of the dissertation where I recognize the many wonderful individuals who helped me in my journey through this program. There will never be enough space, nor the right words, for me to fully acknowledge everything that these people have done for me, but this is a start. To my parents, Lynette and Dan, thank you for your unwavering support and for never failing to be proud of me, even when you weren't sure exactly what it was that I was doing. You instilled in me a work ethic and determination that got me to this point (and also a stubborn streak that has gotten me in trouble occasionally). To my sister, Kayla, my very first and best friend, thank you for being an endless source of entertainment whenever I needed a pick-me-up. Tante Angela, thank you for providing support in every sense of the w...

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Section: Boundary Management Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Perspectives On Birth Family Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Perspectives On Birth Family Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Perspectives On Birth Family Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Perspectives On Birth Family Contactmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

“To Meet Her, that Changed Everything”: Adult Adoptees’ Discursive Construction of the Meaning of “Parent” following Birth Parent Contact

Anzur

Myers

2019

Journal of Family Communication

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Implications of Transnational Adoption Status for Adult Korean Adoptees

Langrehr

Yoon

Hacker

et al. 2015

J Multicult Couns & Deve

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This study used a consensual qualitative research method to explore the implications of transnational adoption in the lives of 12 adult Korean adoptees. From the analysis, 6 domains emerged: (a) adoption history and preadoptive memories, (b) meaning of adoption, (c) adoptive family dynamics, (d) racism, (e) identity formation, and (f) counseling experiences. Results highlight the need for more awareness surrounding transnational adoption throughout the life span. Additional suggestions concerning research and practice are discussed. Este estudio usó un método de investigación cualitativa consensual para explorar las implicaciones de la adopción transnacional en las vidas de 12 adultos coreanos adoptados. A partir del análisis, surgieron 6 parámetros: (a) la historia de adopción y las memorias preadoptivas, (b) el significado de la adopción, (c) la dinámica de la familia adoptiva, (d) racismo, (e) formación de la identidad, y (f) experiencias en consejería. Los resultados destacan la necesidad de prestar mayor atención a la adopción transnacional a lo largo de toda la vida. Se discuten sugerencias adicionales relacionadas con la investigación y la práctica.

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