The debate between nature versus nurture is a long-standing one in the adoption realm. Wherever you are in your adoption journey – whether you are still researching your options, are actively pursuing an adoption plan or have already adopted a child – you have undoubtedly wondered just how adoption affects the adopted child. Do adopted children really grow up just as secure and adjusted than those raised by their biological parents? Does nurture really play more of an active role in a child’s life than nature?
Although there are hundreds of opinions on the subject, many adoptive families become frustrated at what some consider to be the great lack of information on how adoption impacts the children placed for adoption.
One of the most comprehensive studies to examine this correlation is now underway at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Twin and Family Research. The Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study (SIBS) began in 1999 to research how siblings interact and influence one another and to see how family dynamics impact the psychological health of adolescents.
The study includes a significant percentage of adoptive families because of their unique family dynamic. When studying families that are all related biologically, researchers cannot separate genetic from environmental influences. However, adoptive families provide the researchers with the opportunity of studying the uniqueness of family dynamics while being able to rule out genetic influences since the family is not biologically related.
Although the study is still ongoing, researchers released preliminary findings in 2002, which include:
- There is virtually no difference in psychological functioning between children raised in adoptive families and those raised in biological families.
- Sibling relationships appear unaffected by adoption.
- Despite the absence of genetic links, adoptive siblings are psychologically similar to one another in some significant ways.
To find out more about the SIBS study, visit http://mctfr.psych.umn.edu/siblingstudy/
In addition to the SIBS preliminary findings, a recent study published in the February 2007 issue of the American Sociological Review found that adoptive parents are more invested in their children’s lives – that adopted children receive more personal attention and financial resources than those raised by their biological parents.
The study found that adoptive parents invest more time in reading to their children, eating family meals together and speaking with their children about their problems. They also spend more time helping their children with their homework, are more involved in their child’s school and expose their children to more cultural activities. The only category in which adoptive parents ranked below biological parents was the frequency of talking with parents of other children, according to the study.