"All teenagers have problems, whether theyre adopted or not": Discourses on adolescence and adoption among parents of transnationally adopted teens
Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice
Published online on December 02, 2015
Abstract
Adopted children’s arrival at adolescence is an object of interest and concern among researchers, professionals, and politicians. In this article, I offer an analysis of parental talk among 24 families about their concerns related to their transnationally adopted teens. The majority of the adoptive parents reported having concerns about their children, which they attributed to their children’s entry into adolescence and their children’s inherent personality traits. In this article, I focus on the first of these attributions, which places the "blame" on adolescence. I do this from a perspective integrating a theoretical view from social anthropology that analyzes social discourses and a more applied view from social work that explores how these discourses influence family practices. The results of this analysis can guide family and professional practices and public policies on adoption.