Adoption-is it really a better option?

[Rose Garden]

Children in single parent families fare better than children who have been adopted, despite adopted children being given more advantages than children born into typical two patent families. The best option would be to support single parents so that they can spend adequate amount of time with their children and have better opportunities to find good spouses.

Source? I haven't found any research to validate your statement.

This article that butterfly posted before. (https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-paradox-of-adoption/) In every case, the children of one biological single parent did marginally better than the ones who had been adopted into two parent families. In most cases the study stated that there was not a significant difference in order to claim that the single parent families were better off. Their cut-off mark for making this distinction appears to be 10 percentile points. The single family children were most often 8 percentile points off in the more positive direction. However, when certain factors were controlled out, the difference was significant enough (10 points) in some areas to state that the single parent children were in fact better off.

[braingrunt]

I finally took a look at one of the studies, the one meili just cited and it talks about kindergarden and first grade. It talks about misbehaving in classroom and academic performance.
Very first observation--adoptive kid's behavior is worst at first but improves between K and 1 while the "other family types" kids behavior is getting worse. If that defines the start of a trend (by no means certain that it does) then we have reason to be optimistic about their future and pessimistic toward the single parent kids.

Academic performance starts very low and even worsen between k and 1, so no reason to be optimistic there. However, given that past studies have found them achieving more positive results as adults, I have to think at some point they turn around.

By itself, I can't call this study very informative. If there are others which show what goes on later, which show continued problem, then maybe we can get somewhere. But right now, no.

[brianj]

Thank you, braingut. I was, obviously, more interested in the long term impact of adoption but I have not found any studies comparing the outcome of adoption vs the outcome of being raised by a single mother.
The research I did find demonstrates that adopted children don't fare as well as children raised in a stable home by both biological parents, but I also found research demonstrating that the effects of prenatal stress or early childhood abuse and neglect are reversed after placement in a stable, two parent adoptive family.

I am still looking for research comparing outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood but, in today's politically correct environment, I doubt such research would ever be published.

[butterfly]

Thank you, braingut. I was, obviously, more interested in the long term impact of adoption but I have not found any studies comparing the outcome of adoption vs the outcome of being raised by a single mother.
The research I did find demonstrates that adopted children don't fare as well as children raised in a stable home by both biological parents, but I also found research demonstrating that the effects of prenatal stress or early childhood abuse and neglect are reversed after placement in a stable, two parent adoptive family.

I am still looking for research comparing outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood but, in today's politically correct environment, I doubt such research would ever be published.

Did you see the other study I posted on pg. 2 of this thread that found that adopted adolescents are 4xs as likely to attempt suicide than non- adopted kids?

I also posted a link to personal commentaries from adopted adults who describe why they became overachievers as they grew up. It wasn't that things straightened out for them. They feared being rejected by their adoptive parents if they weren't successful enough; they also tried to stay occupied so they wouldn't have to think about how much they'd rather die than keep going through life with no way to feel sincerely loved and sincerely worthwhile.

Those 2 links may answer some of your questions

[brianj]

Did you see the other study I posted on pg. 2 of this thread that found that adopted adolescents are 4xs as likely to attempt suicide than non- adopted kids?

I also posted a link to personal commentaries from adopted adults who describe why they became overachievers as they grew up. It wasn't that things straightened out for them. They feared being rejected by their adoptive parents if they weren't successful enough; they also tried to stay occupied so they wouldn't have to think about how much they'd rather die than keep going through life with no way to feel sincerely loved and sincerely worthwhile.

Those 2 links may answer some of your questions

The study by Keyes et al appears to be a preliminary study and the authors mention weaknesses in the study, including the lack of consideration of ethnic diversity, the lack of information on children placed by government agencies, and preplacement experiences. Though the authors don't explicitly state it, the study didn't account for children adopted by homosexual couples. Although there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence for serious problems among children, both biological and adopted, raised in gay or lesbian households, this factor was not mentioned at all in the Keyes study.

I also have big problems with the ECLS-K on which Zill's research is based. Beside not accounting for children raised by homosexual adoptive parents, this study does not discuss if the adoptive children knew they were adopted and doesn't consider preplacement experience.

Finally, the anecdotal reports you mentioned are self-selective in that adoptees who didn't have the same fear are unlikely to post in such a forum.

[Thinker]

I appreciate the studies mentioned and the insightful comments about them.
I've read several studies that show kids who are raised by homosexual parents have significantly more problems. Here's one: http://www.frc.org/issuebrief/new-study ... s-research

Obviously, it's ideal that children are raised by their biological parents, but since that is often not possible, adoption is often the next best thing, but adoption by those most closely substituting as their biological parents - a mother and father.

And again, fathers are important, as are mothers.

Previously posted:

Children have the right to not be legally denied a mother and father.
Yet, those supporting marriage based on same-sex sexual substitutes, do not respect this right.

Child of lesbian couple speaks out against gay marriage
http://www.dennyburk.com/child-of-lesbi ... -marriage/

Not only do we each need a mother and father TO EXIST, we also need them to thrive in this world...

"Children Need Both A Mother And A Father" Dr. A. Dean Byrd (link is very long - couldn't find the shorter version.)
http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/g ... micus7.pdf

"Why Children need both Mother-Love and Father-Love" Glenn T. Stanton
https://www.jashow.org/articles/society ... ther-love/

"Mothers' and Fathers' Socializing Behaviors in Three Contexts: Links with Children's Peer Competence"
Pettit, Gregory S.; Brown, Elizabeth Glyn; Mize, Jacquelyn; Lindsey, Eric
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ563106

"Why Children Need a Mother and a Father" Bill Muehlenberg
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2010/10/18/ ... -a-father/

BTW - a related thread: viewtopic.php?t=29719