U.S. Families' Adoption of Chinese Daughters: A Narrative Analysis of Family Themes in Children's Books

Jacki Fitzpatrick, Erin Kostina-Ritchey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the ways in which family formation processes were presented in international children's adoption books. Guided by Pinderhughes' (1996) adoptive family development model, we conducted a content analysis for the representation of two developmental phases (anticipation and accommodation). A total of 24 publicly accessible books (e.g., via libraries, websites, or bookstores) were coded independently by two researchers. The results indicated that adoptive developmental tasks were represented in the books. The books were transparent in the description of positively and negatively valenced events (e.g., adoptive children are withdrawn from new parents). Implications for practice and service provision and research are offered.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)58-71
Number of pages14
JournalFamily Relations
Volume62
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2013

Keywords

  • Adoption
  • Child-parent relationships
  • Cultural and ethnic minority family issues
  • Narrative
  • Qualitative studies in the areas of families

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