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V. Study 2: Success Factors Study: Methods and Demographics
A. Methods
As part of The Collaboration to AdoptUsKids, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin conducted a 4-year prospective examination of a nationwide sample of successful adoptive families who adopted children with special needs. Successful adoptive families were defined as families whose finalized adoptions remained intact and the adoptive parents remained committed to parenting the adopted child. A nationwide sample of public and private adoption agencies were asked to assist in identifying adoptive families for participation in the study. Special attention was placed on including families who had adopted older children (particularly between the ages of 12 and 16 years), sibling groups, and children who had been in the foster care system for several years, in order to glean information on how these families and children were adjusting and what factors contributed to positive outcomes. In addition, some families were included whose adopted children were under the age of six at the time of placement but had severe special needs. Although all types of adoptions were included in this sample, the majority were general adoptions which were arranged through both public and private agencies. The sample also included single parent, foster parent, and relative adoptions.
Initially adoption agency staff mailed a "family packet" to adoptive families qualifying for participation. As families submitted completed "packets" to the project office, one adopted child from the family was selected as the "focus child" for the family. The focus child was selected on a case-by-case basis after reviewing the demographic information provided by the adoptive parents. Criteria used to determine the focus child included the age of the child at placement, quality and severity of the child's special needs, level of challenge the child presented to the parents, and length of time the child had been in the adoptive home. The final study sample consisted of 161 families who had adopted at least one child who had been in the home between 1 and 14 years at the time of participation in the study.
Telephone interviews (usually lasting two to three hours) were conducted with one adoptive parent per family using a semi-structured interview schedule. Many interviews lasted longer than three hours, as the adoptive parents seemed to love talking about their families. Topics covered in the interviews included: 1) adoptive parent background and adoption process; 2) couple's relationship at the time of the adoption; 3) child's history and background experiences in foster care; 4) child preparation for adoption and the adoption process; 5) family and child adjustment at the time of the adoption; 6) current adjustment to the adoption and adoptive parent feelings about the child; 7) bonding/attachment/relationship with child; 8) post-adoption services; 9) preparation for ongoing contact with birth family members; and 10) transracial adoption experiences (if applicable). These interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Due to the complex nature of these adoptive parent interviews, all interviewers were members of the Collaboration to AdoptUsKids core research team. Interview transcripts of the entire sample of success factors families (N = 161) were double coded by experienced staff members of the AdoptUsKids research team.
In addition to the interview, adoptive families also completed the following survey measure as part of the study. Follow-up surveys were also sent one and two years after the interview.
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1. Adoptive Parent Survey
Two weeks after the completion of the telephone interviews, an adoptive parent survey was mailed to participating families. Permission was obtained from Reilly & Platz (2003) who had conducted a similar study of successful special needs adoptions, to adapt, for the purposes of this study, selected questions on the adoptive parents' knowledge of the child's background and history as well as the child's medical, physical, and behavioral challenges. These items were included in the mailed survey in addition to the following two measures:
a. Parenting Stress Inventory (PSI)
The Parenting Stress Inventory (PSI) (Abidin, 1986) is a self-report questionnaire designed to predict a child's current behavioral and emotional adjustment as well as to identify parental stress that may be a function of the parent-child system. The PSI identifies two domains as sources of stressors—child characteristics and parent characteristics. Test-retest reliability ranges from 0.61 for the child domain to 0.91 for the mother domain (Abidin, 1986). The PSI has been normed on both non-clinical and clinical samples of parents. The full version of the PSI consists of 120 items and takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The PSI short form consists of 36 items and results in a Total Stress Score from three scales: Parental Distress, Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction, and Difficult Child.
b. Marital Satisfaction Scale
The Marital Satisfaction Scale is a five-item scale assessing marital satisfaction based on the conceptual framework developed by Fowers & Olson (1993) for use in the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale.
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2. Longitudinal Follow-up Surveys
One and two years after the initial interview, the research team sent follow-up surveys to assess changes in family and child functioning over time.
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B. Demographic Characteristics of Successful Families
1. Family Structure: Initial Data Collection
There were 161 families, a total of 270 individual adoptive parents, who participated in the study. The majority of the families (n = 104, 65 percent) were married couples. There were also two unmarried same-sex couples (one percent) and three unmarried opposite-sex couples (two percent). Forty-seven single female adopters composed 29 percent of the sample, and single males represented five of all adoptive parents (three percent).
Table 1. Family Structure*
Family Structure |
Number of Families |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
Married couples |
104 |
65% |
Unmarried couples-same sex |
2 |
1% |
Unmarried couples-opposite sex |
3 |
2% |
Single females |
47 |
29% |
Single males |
5 |
3% |
Total = 161 Families |
161 |
100% |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N = 161).
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2. Age, Family Income, and Education
At the time of data collection, the average age of the adoptive mothers was 45 years and adoptive fathers was 46 years. The adoptive families had an average income of $61,991. The average income of the couples was $72,826; single females was $36,922; and single males was $52,800. More than half of the sample of adoptive parents had completed either a bachelor's or graduate degree. Below is a detailed description of the parents' educational levels.
Table 2. Education Level of Adoptive Parents*
Highest Education Achieved |
Mothers |
Fathers |
|---|---|---|
Grade school or some high school |
3 (2%) |
2 (2%) |
High school diploma or GED |
9 (6%) |
13 (11%) |
Some college (includes junior or community college) |
42 (27%) |
31 (27%) |
Technical, vocational, or trade school |
9 (6%) |
9 (8%) |
College graduate (Bachelor's degree) |
50 (32%) |
26 (23%) |
Graduate school (Master's or Ph.D.) |
40 (26%) |
22 (19%) |
Other |
2 (1%) |
3 (3%) |
Missing information |
1 (1%) |
8 (7%) |
Total = 270 Parents** |
156 |
114 |
*Percentages are calculated on the total for each column (e.g., n = 156 mothers).
**Percentages do not always add to 100% due to rounding.
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3. Family Race/Ethnicity
The majority of families (n = 128, 80 percent) identified their ethnic background as Caucasian. Eighteen families (11 percent) were African American and five (three percent) were Hispanic. In this sample, there were nine interracial couples (six percent) including Caucasian and African American, African American and Hispanic, Hispanic and Native American, etc. One family (one percent) was of mixed race/ethnicity (e.g., both participants were Caucasian and African American).
Table 3. Family Race/Ethnicity*
Family Race/Ethnicity | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
Caucasian (non-Hispanic) |
128 |
80% |
African American |
18 |
11% |
Interracial |
9 |
6% |
Hispanic |
5 |
3% |
Mixed race/ethnicity |
1 |
1% |
Total** |
161 |
100% |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of
families in the sample (N = 161).
**Percentages do not always add to 100% due to rounding.
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4. Transracial and Same-race Adoptive Families: Family and Focus Child Race/Ethnicity
Overall, the majority of families (n = 105, 65 percent) adopted children of the same ethnic background as one parent (n = 8, five percent) or both parents (n = 97, 60 percent): 78 Caucasian (non-Hispanic) (48 percent), 14 African American (nine percent), and five Hispanic (three percent). However, 56 families (35 percent) transracially adopted. Of the transracial adopters, the majority were Caucasian families (n = 50, 89 percent) who had adopted children of color.
Table 4. Family Race/Ethnicity by Child Race/Ethnicity*
Child's Race/Ethnicity |
Family Race/Ethnicity |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Caucasian |
African American |
Hispanic |
Native American |
Mixed Race/ |
Inter-racial**** |
Total** |
|
Caucasian |
78 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
80 |
African American |
15 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
31 |
Hispanic |
12 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
20 |
Native American |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
Mixed race/ |
20 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
27 |
Total Families** |
128 |
18 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
161 |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N = 161).
**Percentages do not always add to 100% due to rounding.
*** Mixed race/ethnicity includes biracial and multiracial individuals. The mixed race/ethnicity family includes two parents who are both similarly mixed (African American and Caucasian, for example).
****Interracial includes couples whose racial/ethnic backgrounds are not the same.
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5. Number of Adopted Children
Of the 161 families, 106 (66 percent) had adopted more than one child. Forty-seven of the multiple adopters (29 percent) had adopted two children (including the focus child), and 42 (26 percent) had adopted between three and five children. Seventeen families (11 percent) had adopted between six and 10 children.
Table 5. Number of Adopted Children*
Number of Adopted Children per Family |
Number of Families |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
One |
55 |
34% |
Two |
47 |
29% |
Three |
13 |
8% |
Four |
17 |
11% |
Five |
12 |
7% |
Six |
8 |
5% |
Seven |
3 |
2% |
Eight |
2 |
1% |
Nine |
3 |
2% |
Ten |
1 |
1% |
Total |
161 |
100% |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N= 161).
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6. Ages of Children in the Home
Almost all of the families in this study (97 percent) were parenting children who were school age or older. Two-thirds of the sample (n = 107, 66 percent) were parenting at least one teenager at the time of the study. Four families (two percent) were parenting only children less than five years of age.
Table 6. Ages of Children in the Home*
Children's Ages |
Number |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
School age and teens (5-21 yrs.) |
45 |
28% |
Teens only (13-21 yrs.) |
37 |
23% |
School age only (5-12 yrs.) |
32 |
20% |
Preschool, school age and teens (0-21 yrs.) |
25 |
16% |
Preschool and school age (0-12 yrs.) |
16 |
10% |
Preschool only (< 5 yrs.) |
4 |
2% |
Missing information |
2 |
1% |
Total |
161 |
100% |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N = 161).
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7. Type of Adoption by Family Status
Of the 161 families who participated in the Success Factors study, 94 (58 percent) were general adopters (not adopting a specific child they were fostering or knew before placement). Of the remaining families, 41 (25 percent) had adopted a child they had fostered, six (four percent) adopted a relative, and 20 (12 percent) adopted a specific child but not one they had fostered. In this latter group, families had initially come into contact with these children due to the parents' roles as their therapist, teacher, residential treatment worker, or through family friends who were fostering the children. After meeting and interacting with the children, the families decided they wanted to adopt them.
Table 7. Type of Adoption*
General Adopters |
Foster Parent Adopters |
Relative Adopters |
Specific Child Adopters |
Total Families** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
94 (58%) |
41 (25%) |
6 (4%) |
20 (12%) |
161 |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N = 161).
**Percentages do not always add to 100% due to rounding.
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8. Foster Parent Adopters
Of the 161 families, 32 adoptive families (20 percent) were also fostering children in their home. The majority of these 32 families (n = 26, 81 percent) had one or two foster children living in the home in addition to their adopted child[ren]. The remaining 129 families (80 percent) were not currently fostering any children.
Table 8. Number of Adoptive Families Currently Fostering Children*
Number of Children Currently Being Fostered |
Number of Adoptive Families |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
Zero |
129 |
80% |
One |
16 |
10% |
Two |
10 |
6% |
Three |
4 |
2% |
Four |
1 |
1% |
Five |
1 |
1% |
Total |
161 |
100% |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N = 161).
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9. Type of Adoption Agency
Public agencies facilitated the adoptions for 93 families (58 percent), and private agencies facilitated placements for 68 families (42 percent).
Table 9. Type of Adoption Agency*
Agency Type |
Number |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Private | 68 | 42% |
| Public | 93 | 58% |
| Total | 161 | 100% |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N = 161).
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C. Demographic Characteristics of Focus Children
1. Age at Placement and Time in Adoptive Home
Focus children were an average of six and a half years of age (range = 0 to 17 years) at the time of placement in the adoptive home. One hundred nineteen focus children (74 percent) in the study were between five and 17 at time of placement. Of this number, six (four percent) were between 13 and 17; 39 (24 percent) were between nine and 12; and 74 (46 percent) were between five and eight at placement. Typically, focus children had been in the home an average of six years at the time of the interview (range = one to 14 years). The remaining 42 children (26 percent) were four years old or younger. The average length of time between the time of finalization of the adoption and the time of the interview was 3.5 years.
Table 10. Age of Focus Child at Time of Placement*
Age at Placement |
Number |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 1 | 21 | 13% |
| 2 – 4 | 21 | 13% |
| 5 – 8 | 74 | 46% |
| 9 – 12 | 39 | 24% |
| 13 – 17 | 6 | 4% |
| Total | 161 | 100% |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N = 161).
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2. Race/Ethnicity of Focus Child
Of the 161 children who were the focus of the study, 80 (50 percent) were Caucasian (non-Hispanic) and the other half were children of color. Specifically, 31 children (19 percent) were African American, 20 (12 percent) were Hispanic, three (two percent) were Native American, and 27 (17 percent) were of mixed race/ethnicity.
Table 11. Race/Ethnicity of Focus Child*
Race/Ethnicity |
Number of Families |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
Caucasian (non-Hispanic) |
80 |
50% |
African American |
31 |
19% |
Hispanic |
20 |
12% |
Native American |
3 |
2% |
Mixed race/ethnicity |
27 |
17% |
Total |
161 |
100% |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N = 161).
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3. Gender of Focus Child
Of the 161 focus children, 89 (55 percent) were male and 72 (45 percent) were female.
Table 12. Gender of Focus Child*
Gender |
Number |
Percent |
|---|---|---|
Males |
89 |
55% |
Females |
72 |
45% |
Total |
161 |
100% |
*Percentages are calculated on the total number of families in the sample (N = 161).
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