New Research Findings on Adoption Identity

October 15, 2010

By Patty B., Celebrate Adoption’s professional facilitator and mentor

The Evan B. Donaldson Institute recently released the results of a study Beyond Culture Camp: Promoting Healthy Identity Formation In Adoption by authors Hollee McGinnis, Susan Livingston Smith, Dr. Scott D. Ryan, and Dr. Jeanne A. Howard (Published: 2009 November. New York NY: Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute). The purpose of the study was to learn about identity development in adopted persons generally, but also about the impact of racial/ethnic difference from one’s parents.

The study used an online survey, which was completed by 468 adopted adults. The analysis of the results published to date focused on two subgroups, 179 respondents born in South Korea and adopted by two Caucasian parents, and 156 Caucasian respondents born in the U.S. and adopted by two Caucasian parents. These two groups constituted over seventy percent of respondents and were chosen as comparison groups.

The study confirmed that identity is increasingly important to adopted children as they grow, and remains important in their adulthood. For individuals adopted trans-racially and trans-culturally, race and ethnicity is increasingly significant to adopted individuals’ identity as they grow. Coping with discrimination is an important part of identity formation for adoptees adopted across race and culture.

A majority of the Korean adoptees (78%) considered themselves to be or wished to be white as children. Most
did grow to consider themselves as Korean-American, though a minority of respondents still longed to look like
their parents or members of the majority culture and were considered to be unresolved in their racial or cultural
identity. Those that grew to accept their identity as Korean-American did so as a result of maturity. Access to a more diverse community and affiliation with other people of Asian background was stated as important in helping themto integrate their racial/ethnic identity. Analysis showed that positive racial/ethnic identity development is most effectively facilitated by “lived” experiences such as travel to native country, racially diverse schools, and role models from their same race/ethnicity.

Self esteem and high scores on a scale of strong ethnic identification were significant predictors of Korean
Adoptees comfort with race and ethnicity. Also, experiencing less racial discrimination and having higher
life satisfaction were associated with greater comfort with their racial/ethnic identity. For Korean adopted adults, three factors predicted comfort with adoption identity: gender (females were more comfortable with their adoption); satisfaction with life (higher satisfaction predicted greater comfort with adoption); and self-esteem (higher self-esteem predicted greater comfort with adoption).

For Koreans, experiences of racial teasing that were prevalent also were associated with lower life satisfaction
and lower self-esteem. Forty-nine percent of Korean adoptees had searched and 30% had contact with birth
relatives. This was an unexpected finding of the study.

For Caucasian adoptees, “adoptism” (discrimination based on being adopted) was identified as a reality, and the
Caucasian respondents were somewhat less comfortable with their adoption status than the Korean respondents. The strongest predictor of comfort with one’s adoption identity for White respondents was life satisfaction. For white respondents, the most important factor in satisfaction with adoptive identity as adults was contact with their birth relatives. Eighty-six percent had searched and 45% of Caucasian adult adoptees had contact with birth relatives.

The study demonstrates the increasing importance of identity to adopted persons as they grow. Contact with
birth family was found to be significant to the satisfaction of adoptive identity to adoptive adults, particularly to
White respondents. However, about half of Korean adult adoptees had searched and many had contact with birth
relatives, a surprising find of the study. This suggests the importance of adoptive families in embracing the search
process to aid adult adopted persons in their satisfaction with adoption identity. The importance of providing the
trans-racially/trans-ethnically adopted person direct contact with diverse communities and to members of the
adoptees’ own race and ethnicity was reinforced in this study of Korean adopted adult respondents. It will be
important to look at other trans-racial adoptions to see if the same results are found.

More information is available here.

This entry originally appeared as an article in the Fall 2010 issue of Celebrate Adoption's Newsletter.

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