Adopted Adolescents' Preoccupation With Adoption: The Impact on Adoptive Family Relationships

This study examines the relationship between the intensity of adopted adolescents' thinking about their adoptions and their adoptive family relationships. Participants included 135 adopted adolescents involved in an ongoing study of openness in adoption. Adolescents who reported high levels of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marriage and family 2002-02, Vol.64 (1), p.93-104
Main Authors: Kohler, Julie K., Grotevant, Harold D., McRoy, Ruth G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescence
Adolescents
Adopted Children
Adoption
Adoptive Parents
Adults
Alienation
Child adoption
Child psychology
Developmental Stages
Developmental Tasks
Directories
Families & family life
Family
Family members
Family Relations
Family Relationship
family relationships
Family Structure
Family studies
Fathers
Identity
identity development
Laws
Mothers
Open adoption
Parent and Child Relations
Parent Child Relations
Parent Child Relationship
parent-adolescent relationships
Parents
Personality Traits
Pregnancy
Rumination (Thinking)
Self Actualization
Self Concept
Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations
Sociology
Sociology of the family. Age groups
Teenagers
Trust (Psychology)
United States of America
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Summary:This study examines the relationship between the intensity of adopted adolescents' thinking about their adoptions and their adoptive family relationships. Participants included 135 adopted adolescents involved in an ongoing study of openness in adoption. Adolescents who reported high levels of preoccupation with adoption reported greater alienation from their adoptive fathers than did adolescents who reported moderate or low levels of preoccupation. Adolescents with extremely high levels of preoccupation reported significantly higher levels of alienation and significantly lower levels of trust for their adoptive mothers and fathers than adolescents with extremely low levels of preoccupation. These findings, along with the divergences between adolescents' perceptions of dyadic and overall family relationships, are discussed in terms of how they relate to the process of adoptive identity exploration.
ISSN:0022-2445
1741-3737
DOI:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2002.00093.x