Cultural Socialization Practices in Domestic and International Transracial Adoption

Abstract

This study explored cultural socialization practices, their relationship to demographic-, child-, and adoption-related factors, and parents' perceptions of closeness and satisfaction with adoption among international and domestic transracially adopted children. Data from the National Survey of Adoptive Parents indicated that parents rely on socialization practices that require little to no integration with people of the children's race/ethnicity. Participation in post-adoption support groups, education, and online resources were related to cultural socialization practices. Two of nine practices were related to international transracial adoptive parent's perceptions of closeness with their child and satisfaction with adoption. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Family Influences on Ethnic Identity Development among Transracial Adoptees

“…Though not always as explicit or intentional as this description, critics question whether transracial adoption continues to be used as a form of cultural assimilation, domestically and internationally, and there is no consensus as to what point the child's well-being outweighs the preservation of the child's birth culture (Lee, 2003;Zamostny et al, 2003). Even when transracial adoption is used as an effective way to place legitimate orphans into loving and accepting families, it's unclear how much adoptive families should be expected to adjust their own lifestyle and culture to better nurture the birth culture and identity of TRAs (Vonk, Lee, & Crolley-Simic, 2010;Quiroz, 2012).…”

“…Research has largely indicated positive outcomes for TRAs and their families (Grotevant, Dunbar, Kohler, & Esau, 2000;Vonk, Lee, & Crolley-Simic, 2010), suggesting that transracial adoption itself is not necessarily a risk factor for emotional and behavioral problems (Benson, Sharma, & Roehlkepartain, 1994;Lee, 2003). Clearly, there are a variety of ways TRAs experience adoption.…”

“…Some common practices include participation in cultural activities, such as celebrating holidays, reading books, or eating ethnic foods (Mohanty & Newhill, 2008;Vonk et al, 2010). Other research recognizes the importance of social integration with other children and role models from their culture of origin (Langrehr, 2014;Rojewski, 2005;Samuels, 2010).…”

“…This can also be defined as a bicultural identity, when individuals identify with more than one ethnic/cultural group. Research has shown that cultural socialization, in conjunction with family perspectives and beliefs about culture, are influential in helping TRAs develop a bicultural identity (Friedlander et al, 2000;Kim et al, 2013;Lee, Grotevant, Hellerstedt, & Gunnar, 2006;Vonk, Lee, & Crolley-Simic, 2010). Research suggests that when adoptive families express acceptance of TRAs' culture of origin and openness to exploring and discussing cultural issues, this dual identity is more able to form without conflict or confusion (Huh & Reid, 2000;Johnston, Swim, Saltsman, Deater-Deckard, & Petrill, 2007;Kim et al, 2013;Yoon, 2000).…”

“…Though cultural socialization itself has been widely accepted as an important and beneficial practice for families who transracially adopt (Kim et al, 2013;Rojewski, 2005), there is still limited research on the manner and degree to which these strategies might be implemented in order to nurture a bicultural identity among TRAs (Manzi et al, 2014;Mohanty & Newhill, 2008;Vonk et al, 2010). This particular study sought to explore the role of cultural socialization practices and their interplay with family influences among families of TRAs, through the eyes of the adoptees themselves.…”