Family Cultural Socialization Practices among International Adoptive Families

Abstract Within the field of international adoption, little research has examined the involvement of fathers in cultural socialization practices. Using secondary data analysis with a sample of 332 international adoptive fathers and mothers, the present study examined international adoptive fathers’ cultural socialization practices and compared these practices with those of international adoptive mothers. The results indicated that 1) family cultural socialization practices mainly engaged in by fathers were those that require little to no integration with people of the children’s race and/or ethnicity, and 2) fathers’ awareness or practices were found to be similar to those of mothers. This study illustrates the importance of continuing research on fathers’ beliefs, attitudes, and practices in relation to the race and birth culture of their internationally adopted children. Keywords International adoption, fathers’ awareness and involvement, cultural socialization practices International Journalof Human Ecology

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