Family Experiences After International Adoption

The purpose of this study is to determine the types of experiences faced by families in France who have adopted a child internationally. In addition, internationally adopted adolescents are invited to respond to questions about their own personal experiences.

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Key information

Conditions

Discrimination, Racial Behavior Prejudice Racism Social Behavior Social Discrimination

Age range

11 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Hospital Enfants CHU du BOCAGE, Dijon, France

About this study

Microaggressions, or "unintended discrimination" related to adoption have been widely investigated in the USA. These microaggressions may relate to both adoptive status and country of origin, or both. However, the prevalence and qualitative characteristics of these events have been seldom studied in other countries. Differences in cultural norms and practices among countries might influence the type and frequency of microaggressions experienced by adopted children and their families. Brief anonymous questionnaires devised to elicit personal experiences related to microaggressions will be distributed by 4 clinical services serving this population (3 pediatric, 1 child psychiatric) and by 2 large adoptive family support networks to adoptive parents in France. Frequencies and relations between experience of micro-aggressions and other variables will be analyzed.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Parents :

Parents of an internationally adopted child, whose placement occurred at least 6 months ago
Willing and able to complete a questionnaire

Adolescents :

Internationally adopted adolescents who were placed at least 6 months ago
Willing and able to complete a questionnaire

Exclusion criteria

Parents :

Unwilling or unable to complete the questionnaire

Adolescents :

Parents are unwilling for child to participate
Child is unwilling to participate
Unable to understand the questions

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

Number and type of micro-aggressions experienced by French families who have adopted internationally

Time frame: parents respond to a questionnaire at a single time point, regarding their experience. Participation is hence limited to the 30 minutes required to complete the questionnaire.

Parents will respond to a questionnaire regarding their experiences of micro-aggressions as an adoptive family in France, enumerating the types of discrimination (if any) they have encountered, in what context or environment this occurred, and their feelings in response to these experiences. The types of micro-aggressions could include hearing derogatory comments about adoption in general, their child's country of origin or appearance, etc. Parents may also experience well-meaning but uninformed comments ("how much did she cost?") which are also experienced as micro-aggressions. Simple frequency statistics enumerating these experiences will be compiled. These will be compared to basic demographic indicators such as the country of origin of the child, the child's age at adoption, the child's current age, the time interval since adoption, etc.

Secondary outcomes

Number and type of micro-aggressions experienced by internationally adopted adolescents in France

Time frame: Adolescents respond to a questionnaire at a single time point, regarding their experiences as an adopted person in France. Participation is hence limited to the 30 minutes required to complete the questionnaire.

Adolescents will respond to a questionnaire regarding their experiences of micro-aggressions as adopted individuals in France, enumerating the types of discrimination (if any) they have encountered, in what context or environment this occurred, and their feelings in response to these experiences. The types of micro-aggressions could include hearing derogatory comments about adoption in general, their country of origin or appearance, etc. Adolescents may also experience well-meaning but uninformed comments ("why did your real parents abandon you?") which are also experienced as micro-aggressions. Simple frequency statistics enumerating these experiences will be compiled. These will be compared to basic demographic indicators such as their country of origin, their age at adoption, their current age, the time interval since adoption, etc.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centre Hospitalier St Anne

Other

Registry information

Acronym: VF-ADIN

Important dates

Study start: 2017
Primary completion: 2018
Study completion: 2018
First posted: Aug 24, 2018
Registry last updated: Jul 11, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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Completed