Characteristics of Children Preferred by Adoptive Parents: Is There a Demand
for Available Children?
-
Devon Brooks
-
School of Social Work
-
102D MRF Bldg.
-
University of Southern California
-
Los Angeles CA 90089-0411
-
213-821-1387
-
FAX: 323-658-5016
-
devonbro@usc.edu
-
-
Richard P. Barth
-
School of Social Work
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill NC
While recent changes in child welfare policy were designed to increase
the pool of prospective adoptive families, it is uncertain whether the
changes will actually lead to more placements for children in need of adoption.
To determine whether there exists a demand for available children, this
study examines the characteristics of children that are preferred by adoptive
parents. Data for the study come from the third wave of the California
Long-Range Adoption Study (CLAS). Participants in CLAS include 809 white
parents who adopted children prior to 1988. With a mailed questionnaire,
parents were asked to think back to the time that they first got the idea
to adopt the child who is the subject of CLAS. They were then asked,
if at that time they were presented a child with a selected characteristic,
how willing they would have been to adopt that child. Findings reveal that
parents, in general, were most willing to adopt white children and infants
and least willing to adopt children of color (especially African American
children), adolescents, and children prenatally exposed to drugs.
Gender and kinship status were not related to parents' level of willingness
to adopt, nor were several special needs conditions. Findings also
reveal that parents adopting through public agencies had fewer preferences
for the types of children they were willing to adopt than parents adopting
through private agencies or independently. Preferences of adoptive parents
in this study for children with particular characteristics appear at odds
with the characteristics of children available for adoption through public
child welfare agencies. Thus, recent policy changes intended to facilitate
adoptions for available children may not have their intended effect. This
appears especially true for African American children, older children,
and children who are prenatally exposed to drugs. Implications for
policy and recruitment of prospective adopters are offered.