Global perspectives in Korean intercountry adoption

Policy and social work practice currently lack a theoretical framework that adequately explains the emergence, diffusion, and continuance of the intercountry adoption (ICA) phenomenon. Using South Korea as a case study and the application of actor network theory to the ICA phenomenon, this paper introduces a theoretical approach that allows an examination of the complex interrelationships between the global and local influences of a country's engagement in ICA. This theoretical approach provides a different way of understanding the phenomenon, which, in turn, can better inform policies and practice that affect children and families across the globe.

Adoption, adult attachment security, and relationship outcomes

Despite reports that adopted persons are destined for poor psychological and relational adjustment, this conclusion remains controversial. Previous research on this topic has been inconclusive, and has failed to provide a complex assessment of the predictors of adjustment. For instance, whether attachment security plays a key role in later relationship outcomes remains unresolved. This paper presents the results of a longitudinal study of adults who were adopted as infants, and a comparison sample of adults who grew up with both biological parents. Two research questions were addressed: differences in attachment security between the two samples, and the predictive relations between initial attachment scales and relationship variables (e.g., risk in intimacy, loneliness) assessed at follow-up. Attachment profiles at Time 1 indicated less security in the adopted sample than the comparison sample, and these differences were maintained at follow-up. However, adoptees who had not searched for birth relatives did not differ from the comparison sample. Although sample (adopted / comparison) was an important predictor of some relationship variables, it became less influential when attachment measures were included. Discussion focused on the complex factors that influence attachment security, and the need for in-depth study of the relational experiences of adopted people.