Does this shock you--why or why not?

Question

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1737667,00.html

Why is it that 'researchers' try to pin the problems of adoptees on either set of parents? Why can't people SEE that adoption ITSELF is at the core of this 'new' study?

Answer 1

Interesting article Sunny thanks for sharing.

Ironically I recently came across an article written about 5 years ago that was  like this but it was in reference to Mixed Raced kids having more issues/behavior etc then those deemed Monoraical kids. I guess I was just lucky I had the cards stacked against me an adoptee and multiracial.

Answer 2

No, it doesn't shock me.  And it seems obvious why we have to downplay the idea that adoption itself can predispose kids to mental illness:  it might stop or slow down flow of profit if we got a reputation as "damaged goods."  It's already hard enough to place older kids from foster care because "something might already be wrong with them," whereas adopted infants, silly as it is, are still thought of as blank slates by many APs and PAPs.

I'm not sure how to feel about this.  On the one hand, I'd like the truth to be told.  On the other hand, I'm glad I didn't go through life with a scarlet A branded on my forehead.

Answer 3

No, it doesn't shock me at all. As the conclusion of the article states: "'All adolescents struggle with finding their identity,' she says, before adding, 'It makes sense adopted children would struggle more than most.'" I would think any adoptive parent worthy of the "job" would agree with that. It does "make sense." Sure, not all adopted teens will have major issues, but many will, and it makes sense to look out for them in your kids so that you can help them to cope with their issues of loss.

I'm going to have to try to find the original findings of the researchers. This article itself seems to be seriously flawed, but I can't tell if that is the research itself (could be) or just the editorial spin of the Time article author (I think more likely, though I could be wrong).

Things I see wrong in this article:

--It doesn't cite its sources, not well enough to find them easily. I know popular magazines do this all the time, but it still doesn't make it okay, and it makes the article less trustworthy.

--As you say, the article spins the findings by asking, "what's behind that increased risk — adoptive parents or genetics?" when it could be adoption itself that is the problem.

--She describes 14% as a small minority. That seems dismissive -- it seems a fairly substantial minority to me, though she doesn't give the percentage among the non-adopted kids for comparison.

--It really downplays and dismisses the very real psychological problems of international adoptees by implying (at least to my reading) that disruptive behaviors are a more significant problem. By contrast, the press release from the University of Minnesota (still not the complete source, but a lot closer) says: "Focusing on internalizing problems, teachers reported that international adoptees were significantly more anxious than non-adopted adolescents and their parents reported significantly more symptoms of internalizing disorders, specifically major depressive disorders and separation anxiety disorders." Hmm, seems pretty darned significant to me! I would rather my child be disruptive than suffer major depressive disorders.

So I agree that the findings are significant in that they at least don't dismiss adoptee's problems (though they downplay them). And I agree that this article is skewed because the author wants to blame first parents rather than adoption itself. I'm just not sure yet that the original research itself has the same bias. I hope the researchers have a bit more of a clue.

I'll link to an online source for the research if I can find one.

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Here's the press release about the article. I'm still looking to see if I can find an online source for the whole thing.

http://www1.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice/...

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ETA:

Still not the original research, but this article is better. Found via AmyAdoptee's blog:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local...

ETA-- FOUND IT!

Here's the full text of the study. I haven't had a chance to look it over yet; I thought I'd let anyone else interested take a look also.

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content...

ETA:

I looked at the full research report (see above) some. It is a little long and a little late for me to do a thorough analysis, but it appears to be a lot better and less biased study than the articles about it would lead one to believe. It seems to pretty much show that a significant percentage of adopted teens have issues, but mostly not make judgements about why. I didn't see the rude assumptions about first parents that the Time article implied. See especially the "Comments" section towards the end.

Answer 4

another reason people are not choosing to adopt- thanks for putting a bad light on adoption- I am not more troubled then a biological child,

Answer 5

I couldn't agree more, Sunny.  I mean, at least this is finally an acknowledgment that there is a higher rate of metal health issues with adoptees.  But then trying to lay blame on the people surrounding the adoption is pretty misguided.  

It's either the birthparents were screwed up and it's a genetic issue, or the adoptive parents were terrible parents and screwed the child up with bad parenting.  It's never about the act of ADOPTION ITSELF, and taking a child from it's blood family.

I've said many times previously that I have great adoptive parents.  I have two brothers that were bio sons of my aparents, who never had any issues or had to go into therapy.  My own bio parents are not druggies or have any mental health problems such as bipolar or depression.  Why then, do I have problems?  Could it possibly be the fact that I'm adopted?  Do you think, just MAYBE, that could have something to do with it?!  

Oh, and I was adopted at birth, so it's not a foster care thing.  I had a stable, loving home from infancy, yet have had major depressive disorder from age six.  How do you explain that?

Answer 6

I guess my kids and I are blessed because we have been a family, no ands, ifs or buts since the day they came into our home.  Not an adoptive family, not a blended family, not a hyphenated family of any sort...a family.  

Even if we had problems of some sort I've seen first hand the environment my oldest came from (a run down orphanage in rural India) and I know the history of the birth parents for my youngest and believe me, they are much better off where they are now.  They have it good, my wife and I have it good and we all...as a family...have it good.

Answer 7

First off thank you for posting this article. And secondly, nope, this study doesn't surprise me.

Answer 8

There will be some things that are associated with adoption, people just can't pin one thing on a set of parents.

Answer 9

Of course. Kids who were placed in foster homes, or abandoned by their parents at least miss their parents a little. Plus they go to school and look at all the kids having real parents. They must go through h**l everyday of their lives. (Only some..What was it...14%?)

Answer 10

I think that it depends on the family. some children like the fact they were adopted and have no problems at all. and others seem troubled with the fact that they dont "belong" even if they are so very loved. scientists really are stupid!! and if you think about it Angelina jolie's kids that were adopted im sure feel great where they are rather than where they could have been. and it doesnt always leed to "problems"

i much agree with you.

Answer 11

No.  The article didn't shock me.

I do have a question.  If 14% of adopted kids have some sort of mental illness, what is the breakdown of that percentage?  Does the include foster care, step-parent adoption, overseas adoption, grandparent (or other family) adoption too?  

Wouldn't it stand to reason that children who came from especially challenging backgrounds, including trauma, abuse, neglect, would have a greater incidence of mental health issues as their young minds try to adjust to that?  If that 14% includes children who come from that sort of background, wouldn't that skew the statistics?   How does that number figure against children who were not adopted, yet had similar backgrounds?  I would love to see a better breakdown.  As the statistic stands, it's misleading.

ETA: I'm not, nor have I ever, said that no adoptee feels mental/emotional issue that's solely connected to the feeling of adoption.  What I am saying, is that the simple statistic of 14% of all adoptees having problems doesn't break it down enough to prove or disprove that the number is as high as some of the adult adoptees on the board believe.

Answer 12

you know, I'd hate to give this article ANY validity whatsoever, but I'm bipolar.

But guess what.  It's a chemical imbalance having nothing to do with who raised me.  So I'd be bipolar regardless of who raised me.

I HATE that so many people are biased against adopted kids.  The odds aren't against us more than any other kids out there. GRR!

Answer 13

I am not shocked, but i agree with Jennifer L.  I think how a child was adopted may break the stats down further.  For example, how many were foster care adoption/older child adoption where child already had history, sometimes a bad history, how many are closed adoptions, how many are open,  etc. etc.

We can't assue that adoption itself is the core until we study more the types of adoption they are talking about, scientifically speaking.

Answer 14

It doesn't shock me at all.  We have two bio kids and one adopted.  

The universe of children put up for adoption in this country includes a lot of kids whose bio parents had a hard time coping with the reality or the idea of raising kids.  This may be because the parents suffer from major or minor psychological or psychiatric problems.  Those problems may be hereditary, or if the child is give up for adoption when older than a newborn, they may affect the child because of his or her early experiences with the bio parents.    

And I think that part of the reason that these findings didn't apply to kids who were adopted from other countries is because the countries from which Americans adopt kids are third world countries.  There is so much poverty that unfortunately even people who do not suffer from psychological or psychiatric problems are put in situations where they give birth to kids that they can't afford to raise.  So what?  Our kids are grown now, but our son is a wonderful person, and we're so glad that we adopted him.

Answer 15

I tend to agree with one point in the article that many adoptive parents do seek out help more quickly and for issues they may not have for a biological child...

I know that as a trained adoptive parent I was well educated about the "red-flags" and other things I should pay attention to... I was provided with resources about accessing services for everything from early childhood development to attachment issues.

I also know that by the time I became an adoptive mother--My sense of obligation to being better then just a mom was fully shifted on.... Adopting siblings from foster care--my sense of responsibility to advocate for their needs was the primary mission...

When our children were placed we were hooked up with a multitude of support services... When we had things come up parenting our children--we had direct phone numbers where someone would help us find answers... or treatment or services...

When I gave birth I went home with some free diapers, a new baby check up appointment and a few little baby things--and not too many instructions. Looking back I know my oldest daughter should have had more attention about her speech problem...she should have had some therapy for OCD's and my oldest son should have had more counseling after he had a serious accident.... I just didn't know about these things as their mother...

I do think that adoptive parents get help sooner and know where and what kind of help they can get... I do believe that the training may lead to some parents being hyper-sensitive to meeting these needs.... I think it is part of the honor of being able to become adoptive parents that may cause some to be either way to pro-active or to spend too long in denial about something that could be treated...

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