The Kids Having Kids Study

conducted by
Robin Hood Foundation
111 Broadway, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10006

This study shows:

• 10% of those who are 15-19 years old become pregnant
• 33% of those will abort
• 14% will miscarry
• 80% of those who carry to term and will live in poverty
• Less than 1/2 will marry within 10 years
• They're 50% more likely to repeat a grade

Children of teenage mothers are:

• 2 times more likely to run away from home
• 2-3 times more likely to be victims of child abuse
• 83% more likely to become mothers themselves before the age of 18

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The Search Institute Study

conducted by
Search Institute
Thresher Square West, Suite 210
700 South Third Street
Minneapolis, MN 55415

The study at a glance

Study Purpose:

This study was designed to examine the mental health and service needs of adolescents who were adopted as infants.

Description of sample:

A total of 715 families with adolescents who were adopted as infants participated in the study. This sample included 1,262 parents, 881 adopted adolescents, and 78 non-adopted siblings.

Sampling Method:

In-depth surveys were mailed to a representative sample of families who adopted infants through agencies between 1974 and 1980. Surveys were completed by families from March 1992 to August 1993.

Agency Participation:

A total of 43 agencies (including 8 public agencies) in the four states of Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin cooperated in the study.

Researchers:

This study was conducted by Search Institute, a non-profit organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that specializes in "practical research benefiting children and youth." Key researchers for this project were Peter L. Benson, Ph.D., and Anu Sharma, Ph.D., L.P.

Support:

This four-year, $1 million study was made possible through funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health.

The mental health of adopted adolescents has received surprisingly little research attention. Yet, there are several compelling reasons to systematically explore this issue. One is the oft-cited dictum that adopted adolescents are over-represented in mental health treatment populations. Another is the set of challenges presented by adolescence. It is imperative to shed greater scientific light on how adopted youth navigate through adolescence. This study explores their psychological health, and the factors that promote or interfere with psychological health.

For more information

The complete report, Growing Up Adopted: A Portrait of Adolescents and Their Families, is available for $19.95 (plus $3.50 S&H;) by calling Search Institute 1-800-888-7828.

Study highlights

Identity

• Little evidence that adopted adolescents are particularly vulnerable (formation of identity).
• Adoption seen as a fact of life (by adopted adolescents). Only 27% feel it is a "big part of how I think about myself."
• On an index of self esteem, adopted adolescents compare favorably to a national sample of 12-18 year-olds.
• Overall, adoption does not typically complicate the period of adolescence. This finding runs counter to the classical understanding of adopted adolescents. Why the disparity? The classical view is based to a considerable extent on clinical samples and a wider spectrum of adoptions, including those that occur after infancy. When the focus is on agency-assisted infant adoptions, the journey through adolescence is less stormy.

Attachment

Strong emotional bonds between child and parents are a crucial factor in child and adolescent development. Such bonds increase the probability of successful socialization.

• Extremely high rates of strong attachment to adoptive parents was found. Adopted adolescents are as deeply attached to parents as are their non-adopted siblings. 54% are strongly attached to both parents, 30% are strongly attached to one parent, only 16% are not strongly attached to one parent.
• Equally compelling is the high percentage (95%) of parents who say they experience strong attachment to their adopted child. The vast majority of families master a crucial process important to healthy development.

Family

One of the prominent characteristics of families in this study is their stability.

• Only 11% of adolescents report divorce or separation compared to 28% in a national sample of adolescents. (May be due in part to the pre-adoption screening process)
• Families in this study typically evidence a high level of strength in terms of warmth, communication, discipline, and cohesion. Less functional parenting styles, such as authoritarian decision-making, are rare.
• Communication concerning adoption is a pattern of quiet openness and is done with relative ease and comfort.

Mental Health

Most of the adopted adolescents in this study demonstrate successful adjustment at a rate that rivals adolescents in general.

On several measures of psychological health, adopted adolescents are slightly healthier than a comparison sample of public school adolescents. On an index of clinical symptoms, they are slightly healthier than found in the national norm. This conclusion runs counter to conventional portrayals of adoption that focus more on problems than successes.

This study joins a growing body of literature that documents that at least 75% of adopted adolescents are within the zone of positive psychological health. What accounts for this?

1. A strong emotional attachment of parent to child and child to parent.
2. A goodness-of-fit in which adopted adolescents perceive a good match with parent values, interests, and personality.
3. The use of effective parenting styles.
4. The use of positive approaches to the issues unique to adoptive families.
5. The affirmation of the fact of adoption without dwelling on it.
6. The successful management by parents of factors that can threaten the well-being of adopted youth.

In this study, what we see is a preponderance of families who know both how to be good families and how to be good adoptive families. When this is combined with infant adoptions the possibility of strong attachment, positive identity formation, and positive affirmation of adoption is likely.

Transracial Adoption

This study included 289 children of color adopted by white parents (most were Korean-born).

• On four different measures of psychological health, transracially adopted adolescents do as well as their white counterparts in same-race families. (These findings need to be affirmed publicly, without losing sight of the value of same-race adoptions for children of color. But there is little doubt that, if the alternative is between a transracial adoption and languishing in a sea of indecision about placement–the former is vastly superior.)

Keys to Success

1. The power of early placement cannot be overstated. The families in this study adopted during the first 15 months of their child's life.
2. Providing families with support and training is also key to their success.

Though most adolescents and families in this study demonstrate strength, there are no guarantees. Even in the best of families, some adopted–as well as non-adopted–youth lose their way. When this happens in adoptive families, there is a tendency to blame adoption. While there are certainly some adoptive families which are less than competent, one should not lose sight of the constellation of factors that can shape an adopted child's life. Among these are genetic predispositions, prenatal care, and preplacement history, each of which can impact a life course. It is unclear exactly how these factors work or how they interact with adoption and adoptive family life. To finger adoption as the culprit when a child experiences a lack of health fails to do justice to this complex interplay of factors. Ultimately, the bottom line is that most adopted children and teenagers succeed. Though we find that adopted adolescents tend to do as well as adolescents in general, this is not the best standard for evaluating adoption. A more appropriate standard is to compare each adopted child to what life could have been like had she or he not been adopted. And we find that adoption, even when it occurs after infancy, is almost always better than the alternative.

Taken from Study Highlights, Growing Up Adopted: A Portrait of Adolescents & Their Families

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The New Chance Study

conducted by
Manpower Research and Demonstration Corp.
(A New York-based research organization)

One of the nation's best-funded programs for disadvantaged teen mothers, New Chance Program, has not improved their chances at becoming self-sufficient, according to a rigorous study released 7/2/97.

The study observed 4,500 participants operating in 12 cities:

The study's findings:

• $3 million spent, provided from public funding
• 3 1/2 years after entering the program:
  • 75% still received public assistance
  • 28% were working
  • 14% had become pregnant again