The Effects of Adoption on Adoptees By Flora Richards-Gustafson, eHow Contributor
updated: May 5, 2010
Adoptions affect individuals even in their adult years.
Adoption can provide joy to an adoptive parent.
However, the struggles of adoptees can bring great pain. By knowing the effects of adoption on adoptees, parents can better understand the internal struggles their child experiences.
Adoptions Crossroads states that all adoptees are affected by their adoption experience to varying degrees.
Feelings and Fear of Loss, Rejection and Abandonment
While it is common for every person to feel rejection at some point in his life, Adoption.com states adoptees deal with loss the minute they are given up for adoption. Adoptees know that loss is a major part of the adoption process: a birth mother loses her child when she places it up for adoption, while adoptive parents may have lost a child or the ability to conceive, leading them to adopt.
The Child Welfare Information Gateway states that adoptees have strong feelings of abandonment and may view their adoption as total abandonment. The adoptee, feeling rejected from her biological family, may reject her adoptive family if she senses they are annoyed by her curiosity surrounding her adoption. In addition, when adoptees have strong feelings of abandonment, they often end up sabotaging intimate relationships. The Child Welfare Information Gateway explains adoptees may develop an "I'm going to leave you before you leave me" mentality.
Identity Issues
According to Adoption.com, adoptees may feel they lost their true identity when they were given up for adoption and have borrowed an identity from their adoptive family. When an adoptee does not know information regarding her birth parent, she will often question who she is, where she fits in and if her existence is the result of a mistake. Adoptees are often curious about their birth parents' religious, historical, ethnic, social, medical and genetic information, particularly in their teenage years, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway. They also state that issues surrounding identity are most prevalent in adoptees who do not look like their adoptive parents.
Guilt and Shame
Adoptees may feel they have done something wrong to deserve their biological parents' rejection. According to Adoption.com, there may be a lot of shame involved in an adoption situation: unplanned pregnancy, infertility (when applicable), rejection and the stigma that may come with an adoption. The secrecy that may surround an adoption often validates an adoptee's feeling of guilt if he feels the reason he cannot live with his biological family is because he did something wrong.
The Effects of International Adoption on Adoptees
By Michael E Carpenter, eHow Contributor
updated: December 13, 2010
Adopting internationally, the child may face significant challenges.
Adopting a child from another country has become more popular for a number of reasons. Many parents believe the costs of adopting internationally are lower than adopting a child within the United States. Additionally, seeing celebrities such as Madonna and Angelina Jolie adopt children makes it more socially acceptable to adopt children in need from other countries. The adoptee may face additional challenges upon entering your home country that should be considered before adopting.
Health
In international adoptions, it may be impossible to find a health history of not only the child but of the parents. Knowing the parents health issues can help identify any concerns or special care the adopted child may need. Upon entering the country, the child may also be more susceptible to illness, even with shots, as they have not been exposed to these germs before.
Developmental Issues
If the child has been in an institution for care before the adoption, the child may be behind developmentally. According to Dr. Jane Aronson of International Pediatric Health Services, a child will be delayed one month for each three months spent in an institution. These children may not be able to express themselves through language, even their native tongue. International adoptees may also have trouble adapting to family life. They may be detached as they have not had the care that a traditional family will be able to provide.
Societal Issues
Adopting children of a different race may cause issues for the child and the parent. Having a strong relationship with family and friends will help this transition. However, the child may suffer from discrimination. It is important that the parents make sure the child feels that they belong. Not only that they belong to their family but also make sure the child may learn their native culture so they have a feeling of belonging and help develop self-esteem.
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