Were you adopted AND abused?

Question

If so would you please check out this site and consider being a part of the study run and created by an adoptee for adoptees?

http://adopted-abused.com/

What do you think about studies like this?

Answer 1

i was dropped off by martians but they meant to drop me to this rich family acroos the road....

Answer 2

(partially in response to Erin L)

Abuse in adoptive families is often brushed off by so-called adoption experts like, eg. Adam Pertman, as being rare, often followed by singing the praise of the adoptive family. It is assumed due to home studies, the abuse rate in adoptive families is lower than in natural families and that by itself should be enough to look away.

Only looking at the abuse rate is naive and dangerous. It easily leads to over-optimism and with that to dismissal of the phenomenon.

Since adoptive families and biological families are qualitatively different it is not really possible to compare quantitatively.

Adoptive families exist on the premise the adoptive family would be able to take better care of the child than the natural family and as such should do better.  Can we set a standard for how much better they should do? I don't know the answer to that.

Besides that much abuse (though not all) is related to socio-economic circumstances. There is a strong correlation between poverty and abuse. Many adoptive families are not poor.

I think this study is a very good idea. It brings attention to the phenomenon of abuse in adoptive families. It gathers information about abuse in adoptive families and it can help victims of abuse to get in contact with one another.

Answer 3

Yes.

But not sexually abused.

Answer 4

Hi Gershom!  It's good to see you around again.  How have you been?  

I think things that bring more awareness to the placement of children are good, and I think things that validate the experience of victims and help them feel less alone are good. As a purely scientific study this one doesn't seek a random sample and so the statistics aren't really going to be valid as far as determining frequency of abuse in adoptive families and comparing that to biological families.

Answer 5

Children raised by adoptive parents, just like those raised by biological parents, can and sometimes are abused.  Adoptive parents, like biological parents, are human.  Some are good parents, some mediocre and some are flat out lousy.  Sadly, children have died at the hands of adoptive parents just as there are those who've died at the hands of biological parents.  Awareness needs to be raised to dispel the idea that all adoptive parents are good, loving parents.  For us as a society to hold onto such old ideas is dangerous for those children who are living in abusive adoptive homes.

The safety of the children needs to come before any other ideas each of us may have about adoption.