The Role of Adoption Communicative Openness in Information Seeking Among Adoptees From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

Adoption Communicative Openness was examined as a predictor of information seeking from adolescence to emerging adulthood in a group of adoptees who did not have direct contact with birth relatives during adolescence. Changes in information seeking intentions and behaviors between adolescence and emerging adulthood were also examined. Data from 119 infant-placed adoptees and their adoptive mothers were used from Waves 2 (1996–2000) and 3 (2005–2008) of the Minnesota-Texas Adoption Research Project (Grotevant & McRoy, 1998). Adoptive mothers’ Communicative Openness was positively associated with degree of information seeking in emerging adulthood. Degree of information seeking between adolescence (Wave 2) and emerging adulthood (Wave 3) increased for the majority of adoptees (62.2%). Approximately 16% of adoptees experienced no change in information seeking and 22% of adoptees experienced a decrease in information seeking. Females were more likely to exhibit a greater increase in information seeking change between Waves 2 and 3 and information seeking at Wave 3 than males. Results suggest that adoptee information seeking is a dynamic process that takes place over several life stages and that open communication about adoption within the adoptive family supports adoptee information seeking.

Adoptees' Contact with Birth Parents in Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Adoption Communication and Attachment to Adoptive Parents

“…Less is known, however, about these topics among adoptees in emerging adulthood. Some evidence with emerging adult adoptees indicates that family adoption communication is important to adoptive identity (Skinner‐Drawz, Wrobel, Grotevant, & Von Korff, ), and that emerging adult adoptees with greater birth family contact are also more satisfied with that contact, consistent with earlier research (Farr, Grant‐Marsney, Musante, Grotevant, & Wrobel, ). The purpose here is to examine how adoptees' attachment to adoptive parents and family adoption communication are related to birth parent contact during emerging adulthood.…”

“…Few studies have examined the influence of family adoption communication on emerging adult adoptees' outcomes (e.g., Skinner‐Drawz et al., ), but several have addressed this topic among adolescent adoptees and show consistent results with those of Skinner‐Drawz et al. For instance, Hawkins et al.…”

Adoption status and family relationships during the transition to young adulthood.

“…Many adopted adolescents undertake the normative experience of information seeking during this time, gathering unknown information about adoption stemming from lack of adoption knowledge (Wrobel & Dillon, 2009). Typically, seeking is thought about during adolescence and acted upon in young adulthood (Skinner-Drawz, Wrobel, Grotevant, & Von Korff, 2011), occurring during individuation. Adoptive parents may impact individuation by revealing unknown adoption information they previously felt the adoptee was not mature enough to hear, influencing an adoptees’ need to seek new information and possibly causing the adoptee to feel guilty or disloyal in desiring additional information (Wrobel & Dillon, 2009).…”

Contact Between Adoptive and Birth Families: Perspectives From the Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project

“…At Wave 1 (4–12 years after placement), adoptive parents’ fear that the birth mother might try to reclaim her child was strongest in families with no contact and was based on negative stereotypes about birth parents rather than actual experiences (Grotevant & McRoy, ). At Wave 2 (12–20 years after placement), adoptive mothers’ communicative openness about adoption was positively associated with adolescents’ information seeking; the effect carried into emerging adulthood (Skinner‐Drawz, Wrobel, Grotevant, & Von Korff, ). Adoptive parents who had contact with the child's birth relatives were more satisfied with their contact arrangements than were those who did not have contact.…”