Racist experiences, openness to discussing racism, and attitudes toward ethnic heritage activities: Adoptee–parent discrepancies.

Abstract

Based on a study that compared the reports of 95 Asian transnational adoptees and their parents, results indicated that parents overestimated adoptees' openness to discussing racism and their positive attitudes toward ethnic heritage activities; however, results also revealed that parents underestimated the level of racism experienced by adoptees. Although parents' level of racial awareness made a difference in their views toward adoptees' encouraging behaviors, all parents, regardless of their racial awareness, underestimated the racism experienced by adoptees. Results speak to the need to explore Asian transnational adoptees' views of their parents' willingness to discuss issues of racism and the nature of the racial messages that they receive.

In Their Own Voices: Identity and Racial Socialization Experiences of Young Adult Chinese Adoptees

“…Despite these research findings, transracial adoptive parents continue to avoid engaging in racial dialogues and/or maintain color-blind attitudes and views toward socialization, as seen through the findings in this study and through previous studies (Langrehr, 2014;Langrehr et al, 2019;. This may in part be due to feelings of guilt and shame that parents cannot relate to the painful experiences of their children of color (Langrehr, 2014).…”

Proximity to whiteness: Transracial Korean and Chinese American adoptees navigating discussions about racism and intersectionality with White adoptive parents.

“…Parents (adoptive or otherwise) cannot prepare their children of color for the world without providing some degree of racial socialization and preparation, as research supports its importance and connection with psychological well-being (Barn, 2013;Langrehr et al, 2019;Mohanty, 2013;Reynolds et al, 2021). R. M. Lee and Miller (2009) reported that the concern about race and preparing Asian transracial and transnational adoptees for a racialized world was not emphasized, and in fact, White families in the 1970s and 1980s were instructed to raise Asian adoptees no differently than they would White biological children and with the goal of assimilation.…”

“…On the one hand, children need loving homes and families, and there are waiting families ready and excited to adopt children. However, some research has questioned the ability of transracial adoptive parents to adequately prepare adopted children to navigate the racist world as a person of color, in addition to the exploring adoptive parents’ openness to engaging in discussions around race, power, privilege, oppression, and intersectional identities (Langrehr et al, 2019; Reynolds et al, 2021). Langrehr et al (2019) found that regardless of the degree to which adoptive parents acknowledged race and engaged in color-blind attitudes, they consistently underestimated how frequently their adoptive Asian children experienced racism and racist experiences.…”

“…However, some research has questioned the ability of transracial adoptive parents to adequately prepare adopted children to navigate the racist world as a person of color, in addition to the exploring adoptive parents’ openness to engaging in discussions around race, power, privilege, oppression, and intersectional identities (Langrehr et al, 2019; Reynolds et al, 2021). Langrehr et al (2019) found that regardless of the degree to which adoptive parents acknowledged race and engaged in color-blind attitudes, they consistently underestimated how frequently their adoptive Asian children experienced racism and racist experiences. Thus, transracially adopted Asian children may not be having discussions about race and racism in the home with White adoptive parents but are experiencing more blatant forms of racism and discrimination when they leave the home, unbeknownst to their adoptive parents.…”

“…Parents (adoptive or otherwise) cannot prepare their children of color for the world without providing some degree of racial socialization and preparation, as research supports its importance and connection with psychological well-being (Barn, 2013; Langrehr et al, 2019; Mohanty, 2013; Reynolds et al, 2021). R.…”