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Leah Bloom, MSMFT • February 20, 2009

In 2008, 17,438 children were adopted internationally by American parents, according to data from the U.S. Department of State. Parents who choose to bring a child into their family through international adoption experience far-reaching impacts, because they must both negotiate the usual tasks of parenting while also meeting the specific cultural and social challenges presented by adoption.

References & Citations

A drop in international adoptions (2000, February). Adoptive Families, 42(1), 14.

Feigelman, W., & Silverman, A. R. (1984). The long-term effects of transracial adoption. Social Service Review, 58, 588 – 602.

Grotevant, H.D., & McRoy, R.G. (1998). Openness in Adoption: Exploring Family Connections. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Huh, N. S., & Reid, W. J. (2000). Intercountry, transracial adoption and ethnic identity: A Korean example. International Social Work, 43, 75 – 87.

Scroggs, P. H., & Heitfield, H. (2001). International adopters and their children: Birth culture ties. Gender Issues, 19, 3 – 30.

Vonk, M. E. (2001). Cultural competence for transracial adoptive parents. Social Work, 46(3), 246 – 255.

Yoon, D. P. (2004). Intercountry adoption: The importance of ethnic socialization and subjective well-being for Korean-born adopted children. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 13(2), 71 – 89.