Transracial, same-race adoptions, and the need for multiple measures of adolescent adjustment

Abstract

Using a multimeasure approach, the current study investigated 12 indices of academic, familial, psychological, and health outcomes for 4 groups of transracial and same-race adopted adolescents. A secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health data showed that Asian adolescents adopted by White parents had both the highest grades and the highest levels of psychosomatic symptoms, whereas Black adolescents adopted by Black parents reported the highest levels of depression. Intriguingly, and by contrast, Black adoptees reported higher levels of self-worth than non-Black adoptees. The implications of the findings for future investigations of transracial adoption are discussed.