Finding Forever Homes: Examining Parental Motives
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FINDING FOREVER HOMES: EXAMINING PARENTAL MOTIVES AND PREFERENCES IN ADOPTION by RACHEL J. HAMMEL Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Sociology CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY May, 2017 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERISTY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of Rachel Hammel Candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Committee Chair Gary Deimling, Department of Sociology Committee Member Brian Gran, Department of Sociology Committee Member Sue Hinze, Department of Sociology Committee Member Carol Musil, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Date of Defense February 27, 2017 *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained herein. TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages List of Tables 2 Life of Figures 4 Abstract 5 Chapter 1: Introduction, Significance & Background 7 Chapter 2: Conceptual & Theoretical Orientations 26 Chapter 3: Research Questions, Conceptual Models & Hypotheses 36 Chapter 4: Research Design & Methodology 49 Chapter 5: Analysis Plan 1 Results 72 Chapter 6: Analysis Plan 2 Results 79 Chapter 7: Analysis Plan 3 Results 117 Chapter 8: Summary of Findings & Discussion 134 Appendix 151 Bibliography 196 1 LIST OF TABLES Chapter Pages Table 1. Overview of Research Questions, Aims, Hypotheses and 3 41 Supporting Theories and Literature Table 2. Age of Potential Mothers Seeking to Adopt and Not Seeking to 4 52 Adopt Table 3. Race of Potential Mothers Seeking to Adopt and Not Seeking to 4 53 Adopt Table 4. Marital Status of Potential Mothers Seeking to Adopt and Not 4 54 Seeking to Adopt Table 5. Income of Potential Mothers Seeking to Adopt and Not Seeking 4 55 to Adopt Table 6. Education Level of Potential Mothers Seeking to Adopt and Not 4 56 Seeking to Adopt Table 7. Number of Pregnancies of Potential Mothers Seeking to Adopt 4 57 and Not Seeking to Adopt Table 8. Have the Potential Mothers Seeking to Adopt and Not Seeking 4 58 to Adopt Had a Live Birth(s) Table 9. Potential Mothers Seeking to Adopt and Not Seeking to Adopt 4 58 Wanting A/Another Baby Some Time in the Future Table 10. Respondent's Type of Adoption (N=2,089) 4 59 Table 11. Why Respondents Choose to Adopt (N=2,089) 4 60 Table 12. Why Respondents That Adopted from Foster Care Chose this 4 61 Mode of Adoption (N=763) Table 13a. Adoption Intentions by Maternal Age, Income, Education Level 5 73 and Number of Pregnancies Table 13b. Adoption Intentions by Maternal Race, Marital Status, Has had 5 74 a Live Birth and Wants A/Another Child Table 14. Odds of Seeking to Adopt (N=441) 5 77 Table 15. Desired Characteristics in an Adoptive Child (N=113) 6 81 Table 16. Respondent Flexibility in Adoptive Child Characteristics 6 83 (N=113) Table 17. Respondent's Overall Flexibility in Adoptive Child 6 84 Characteristics (N=87) Table 18. Correlations with Flexibility Variables and Characteristics of 6 86 Women Seeking to Adopt (N=86-89) Table 19a. Flexibility in Child Gender by Maternal Race, Has had Live 6 88 Birth(s) and Wants A/Another Child (N=88) Table 19b. Flexibility in Child Gender by Maternal Marital Status (N=87) 6 88 Table 19c. Correlations of Flexibility in Child Gender by Maternal Age, 6 89 Income, Education Level and Number of Pregnancies (N=88) Table 20a. Flexibility in Child Age by Maternal Race, Has had Live 6 90 Birth(s) and Wants A/Another Child (N=89) Table 20b. Flexibility in Child Age by Maternal Marital Status (N=89) 6 90 Table 20c. Correlations of Flexibility in Child Age by Maternal Age, 6 91 Income, Education Level and Number of Pregnancies (N=89) Table 21a. Flexibility in Child Race by Maternal Race, Has had Live 6 92 Birth(s) and Wants A/Another Child (N=87) Table 21b. Flexibility in Child Race by Maternal Marital Status (N=86) 6 92 Table 21c. Correlations of Flexibility in Child Age by Maternal Age, 6 93 2 Income, Education Level and Number of Pregnancies (N=87) Table 22a. Flexibility in Child Race by Maternal Race, Has had Live 6 94 Birth(s) and Wants A/Another Child (N=89) Table 22b. Flexibility in Child Disability by Maternal Marital Status 6 94 (N=88) Table 22c. Correlations of Flexibility in Child Disability by Maternal Age, 6 95 Income, Education Level and Number of Pregnancies (N=89) Table 23a. Flexibility in Number of Child in Sibling Group by Maternal 6 96 Race, Has had Live Birth(s) and Wants A/Another Child (N=89) Table 23b. Flexibility in Number of Children in Sibling Group by Maternal 6 96 Marital Status (N=88) Table 23c. Correlations of Flexibility in Number of Children in Sibling 6 97 Group by Maternal Age, Income, Education Level and Number of Pregnancies (N=89) Table 24a. Flexibility in Child Characteristics by Maternal Race, Has had 6 98 Live Birth(s) and Wants A/Another Child (N=87) Table 24b. Flexibility in Child Characteristics by Maternal Marital Status 6 98 (N=86) Table 24c. Correlations of Overall Flexibility in Child Characteristics and 6 99 Maternal Age, Income, Education Level and Number of Pregnancies (N=87) Table 25. Flexibility in Child Gender by Maternal Demographic 6 101 Characteristics Table 26. Flexibility in Child Race by Maternal Demographic 6 103 Characteristics Table 27. Flexibility in Child Age by Maternal Demographic 6 105 Characteristics Table 28. Flexibility in Child Disability by Maternal Demographic 6 108 Characteristics Table 29. Flexibility in Number of Children in Sibling Group by Maternal 6 111 Demographic Characteristics Table 30. Overall Flexibility in Child Characteristics by Maternal 6 113 Demographic Characteristics Table 31. International Adoption and Respondent's Reason for Adoption 7 120 Table 32. Foster Care Adoption and Respondent's Reason for Adoption 7 122 Table 33. Private Domestic Adoption and Respondent's Reason for 7 124 Adoption Table 34. Odds of Adopting via International Adoption (N=2089) 7 127 Table 35. Odds of Adopting via Foster Care (N=2089) 7 129 Table 36. Odds of Adopting via Private Domestic Adoption (N=2089) 7 132 Table 37. Summary of Results by Research Question and Aim 8 135 3 LIST OF FIGURES Chapter Pages Figure 1. Racial Composition of Children in Foster Care Awaiting 1 13 Adoption versus Children Adopted from Foster Care Figure 2. Age of Children in Foster Care Awaiting Adoption versus 1 17 Children Adopted from Foster Care Figure 3. Full Conceptual Model 3 43 Figure 4. Conceptual Model as Related to Women Currently 3 46 Seeking to Adopt Figure 5. Conceptual Model as Related to Adoptive Parents 3 48 4 Finding Forever Homes: Examining Parental Motives and Preferences in Adoption Abstract by RACHEL J. HAMMEL Introduction: The overall aim of the study is to examine the motives and preferences of both adoptive parents and women currently seeking to adopt to predict their desire to adopt the children within the U.S. foster care system. This aim is addressed through the following research questions: Why do people adopt? Who is currently seeking to adopt? How flexible are women currently seeking to adopt in the type of child they are seeking to adopt? What role do parental demographics play in how flexible women currently seeking to adopt are in the type of child they are seeking to adopt? Why do adoptive parents select their adoption type? Methods: Two national random sample datasets were selected for this project. The National Survey of Family Growth Cycle VI contained interviews with women currently seeking to adoption and asked questions relating to their flexibility in child characteristics. The National Survey of Adoptive Parents surveyed adoptive parents on their type of adoption and motivations. The national secondary datasets lent themselves to a complex multivariate analysis. Results: The results show that the average woman seeking to adopt is older, nonwhite, married or separated and wants a/another child. Overall, respondents show flexibility in child race, gender and the number of children in a sibling group, but inflexibility in age and disability status. Respondent's race, age and education are not significant predictors of flexibility in any of the child characteristics. A higher number of pregnancies and a 5 lower annual income predict overall flexibly in child characteristics. Motivations for adoption include: Wanting to expand their families and having friends who adopted are significant predictors of adopting internationally; Altruism is a significant predictor of adoption from foster care, and; Infertility and wanting a sibling for an existing child are significant predictors of adopting via private domestic adoption. 6 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION, SIGNIFICANCE & BACKGROUND Introduction The U.S. foster care system is inundated with children that are seeking permanent adoptive families. Prior research indicates that these waiting children often do not possess the characteristics that potential adoptive parents deem as most attractive (Barbell & Freundlich, 2001; Brooks, James & Barth, 2002; Fisher, 2003, Hegar & Rosenthal, 2011; Howard, Livingston Smith & Ryan, 2004; Kemp & Bondonyl, 2000; Snowden, 2008; Zhang, 2011). This study examines the motives and preferences of women currently seeking to adopt as well as parents who have already adopted to predict their desire to adopt children from the U.S. foster care system. This is accomplished through three specific aims. First, the characteristics of women seeking to adopt are compared to women who did not want to adopt. Second, characteristics of children that are preferred by women seeking to adopt are identified and the level of their flexibility in terms of the type of child they are seeking to adopt is examined. Third, the characteristics of families who have adopted are examined to understand their adoption motives and why they selected a specific form of adoption (international, foster care or private domestic).