A Path Analysis of a Cultural and Racial Socialization Model in International Transracial Adoption

Background/Purpose:

Research has shown that international transracial adoptive parents actively engage their adoptees in cultural activities in an adoptive family. However, some parents are less aware of the importance of racial socialization practices for their adoptees. As the importance of such parenting practices in international adoptees’ ethnic identity development has been proved, researchers have explored factors that may increase such socialization practices.

Pre- and post-adoption education and involvement in support groups are revealed as factors that enhance adoptive parents’ racial awareness and practices in cultural and racial socialization, but little research has examined the role of racial awareness and self-efficacy in a socialization model.

Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine factors related to cultural and racial socialization among White international adoptive parents who have adopted an Asian child. This study is an initial test of a socialization model using a path analysis.

Methods:                                                                         

This study used a cross-sectional, online survey design. A convenience sample was recruited through parenting support groups across the United States from January to March 2012. For the current study, 310 cases were included (89% of a response rate). The majority of the participants (90%) were White mothers who had adopted children from China. The average age was 48.30 years (SD = 7.10). The average income was approximately $134,000 (SD= 83,275).

Two major measures were included: 1) the 50-item Transracial Adoption Parenting Scale – Revised to assess racial awareness and cultural and racial socialization practices, and 2) the 10-item Socialization Self-Efficacy Scale to assess motivation and beliefs regarding their ability to raise children from a different race and culture.

The SPSS was used for a preliminary data screening. Using the Mplus, path analysis tested a structural model of observed variables using a single-indicator technique. The robust maximum likelihood method was used to account for the non-normality of the data. A standardized solution such as the STDYX option was applied to fix the variances of all variables. The following fit indices for the model were examined: χ²(11) = 20.05 (p = .05), RMSEA = .053, SRMR = .047, CFI = .983, and TLI = .962, which suggested a reasonably good fit of the model. 

Results:

Results suggested that racial awareness is a core factor that directly influences racial socialization practices. Cultural socialization self-efficacy was proved as a mediating variable in the path between racial awareness and cultural socialization practices. Racial socialization self-efficacy was found to be a mediating variable in the path between racial awareness and racial socialization practices. Post-adoption training or obtained knowledge and skills obtained from support groups are likely to increase racial awareness and racial socialization practices.

Conclusion and Implications:

The most important factor in cultural and racial socialization is racial awareness that results from post-adoption training or a parenting support group. Post-adoption services are important resources that should be made available to international adoptive parents. Social workers’ attitudes and perspectives on ethnicity and race should be examined to determine whether their practices fit the needs of such adoptive parents.