RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Indigenous fostered/adopted individuals report high levels of grief because of their foster care/adoption. Little has been done, however, to explore how grief is experienced and the factors that contribute to said grief for fostered/adopted Indigenous individuals. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the experiences of loss and grief of Indigenous individuals fostered/adopted during childhood. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants were 102 Indigenous fostered/adopted individuals who described the experiences of loss and grief related to adoption. METHODS: This study utilized secondary data from the Fostered and Adopted Individuals Project. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted on open-ended survey data. RESULTS: Two themes emerged: (1) ambiguous loss as a result of foster care and adoption and (2) the effects of the ambiguous loss that stem from foster care and adoption. Indigenous fostered/adopted persons experienced ambiguous loss in foster care and adoption. Their loss remained unresolved due to a loss of access to information about their family and tribe of origin. Although family of origin, tribal community, and culture were not physically present due to separation by foster care/adoption, they remained psychologically present. As a result of ambiguous loss, participants experienced disenfranchised grief, wondering and longing to belong, and mental health and substance abuse. CONCLUSION: This study is the first of its kind to explore the loss and grief experiences of fostered/adopted Indigenous individuals using ambiguous loss theory. Ambiguous loss theory offers a framework for contextualizing the loss and grief that begins at separation and is present in adulthood.
Asunto(s)
Cuidados en el Hogar de Adopción , Pesar , HumanosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The current study explored the experience of reunification as place identity verification for Indigenous individuals who were fostered/adopted as youth. BACKGROUND: Research on reunification tends to focus on disproportionality in child welfare and the factors associated with reunification. Few studies focus on experiences of reunification among Indigenous individuals including their perceptions and comprehensions about the reunification experience. METHOD: Data from 70 fostered/adopted Indigenous individuals that reunified during adulthood were analyzed from the Experiences of Adopted and Fostered Individuals Project. Inductive thematic analysis was used to examine open-ended survey data about experience of reunification. RESULTS: Three themes inductively emerged including: (1) relative reunification, (2) perceptions about reunification, and (3) comprehensions about reunification. During relative reunification, participants reunified with parent(s), extended caregiver(s), grandparent(s), sibling(s), cousin(s), niece(s)/nephew(s), and tribe. Participant's perceptions about reunification included happiness, relief, anger, mourning, and anxiety/excitement. Participant's comprehensions about reunification related to belonging, sense of place, history/heritage, healing, and resemblance. All five functions of place identity verification were met in reunification according to the Indigenous participant's voices. CONCLUSIONS: This study explored the experience of relative reunification of Indigenous individuals who were separated from their families of origin during childhood by foster care and adoption.
Asunto(s)
Protección a la Infancia , Cuidados en el Hogar de Adopción , Niño , Adolescente , Humanos , Adulto , Familia , PadresRESUMEN
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about how university training programs transitioned to teletherapy. This study describes the transition of two university marriage and family therapy (i.e., master's and doctoral) training clinics to teletherapy and presents preliminary analyses of the types of clients and cases that converted to teletherapy. A series of chi-square analyses, a t-test, a logistic regression model, and a multiple linear regression model were employed. Four key findings emerged: (1) most cases converted to teletherapy; (2) Hispanic ethnicity was the only demographic characteristic to significantly predict conversion to teletherapy; (3) individual cases were significantly more likely to convert to teletherapy than relational cases; and (4) the number of prior in-person sessions attended significantly predicted conversion to teletherapy. Teletherapy conversion implications are discussed across four systemic levels: client, student trainee, supervision, and larger systems.