Descriptive data are presented about the children and their adoptive parents. For instance, more than one-half of the 450 adopted children had been adopted by kin. At the time of interviews the children were on average 12.3 years old, this ranging from 5.2 to 23.8 years. Adoptive parents were on average 55 years old, this ranging from roughly 31 to 81 years of age.
With respect to each child in the sample, adoptive parents were presented with 26 services or supports, including the areas of clinical services, health services, after-school activities, educational services, informational services, home assistance, housing assistance, vocational services, and legal assistance. In each instance parents were asked whether the service had been provided since adoption. If not provided, they were asked whether it was needed, and how much it was needed. Data are presented regarding nine areas (or clusters) of perceived service needs and on factors related to each area of need using various statistical approaches, including multiple regression analyses.