Due to weather changes, the event will now be on April 1st, Sunday, from 11am to 6pm, at the same address — Garcia Bend Park. 7654 Pocket Road. Sacramento, CA 95831.

Our apology for the short notice – we received this information from the organizers of the event in Sacramento a few minutes ago.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Fatigue and unrealistic expectations of parenthood may help contribute to post-adoption depression in women, according to a Purdue University study.

“Feeling tired was by far the largest predictor of depression in mothers who adopted,” said Karen J. Foli, an assistant professor of nursing who studied factors that could predict depression in adoptive mothers. “We didn’t expect to see this, and we aren’t sure if the fatigue is a symptom of the depression or if it is the parenting experience that is the source of the fatigue. It also may be reflective of a lacking social support system that adoptive parents receive. However, a common thread in my research has been an assumption that if the mom didn’t carry the child for nine months or go through a physical labor, the parents don’t need help in the same manner as birth mothers do.”

Other predictors of depression in adoptive mothers included expectations of themselves as mothers, of the child, and of family and friends, perceived support from friends, self-esteem, martial satisfaction, and parent and child bonding. These findings, published this month in Advances in Nursing Science, are based on survey results of 300 mothers who had adopted within the past two years. The average age of the children at the time of the adoption was 4.6 years.

There are nearly 1.8 million adopted children in the United States, and Foli’s previous work found that unrealistic and unmet expectations related to parenting, bonding with the child, and support from family and friends were common themes related to depression. She also co-authored the book “The Post-Adoption Blues: Overcoming the Unforeseen Challenges of Adoption.”

Research has clearly established the importance of mental health, particularly depression, in birth parents as a correlate of behavior and emotional problems in children. Knowing what factors trigger post-adoption depression can help plan effective interventions, she said, to help avoid these problems for children who are adopted. For example, nurses, whether working in a pediatric setting or the mother’s doctor office, could assess for fatigue in adoptive mothers. It’s also important for health-care professionals, family members and others to realize that not all adoptions are equal, Foli said.

“Bonding with the children often comes up in post-adoption depression. If adoptive mothers cannot bond to their child as quickly as they expected, they commonly report feeling guilt and shame,” Foli said. “These parents have the expectation to quickly attach to the child and they see themselves as superparents. But what happens when the child they adopt is a teething toddler or unknown special needs surface? It’s a difficult stage for a parent who has known that child for two years, let alone someone who is establishing a new relationship with the child.”

The study also showed that depressive symptoms were more likely higher for mothers who did not have the complete background or biographical information about children, who, after placement, were considered special needs children. However, depression was not correlated with parents who were aware they were receiving a child with known special needs.

“We also found that mothers of children with different ethnic or racial backgrounds did not report more depressive symptoms than those mothers who did not differ from their children’s ethnic or racial backgrounds,” Foli said. “Interestingly, these moms did report perceiving that society was less accepting of their adoptive family.”

Foli plans to look at post-adoption depression in a long-term study to better understand issues related to maternal bonding with the child and marital satisfaction. Foli is supported by the School of Nursing in the College of Health and Human Sciences, and she worked with the Journey to Me, an online support organization for adoptive parents to collect the data.

Study co-authors are Susan C. South, an assistant professor of psychological sciences, and Eunjung Lim, a research associate in the School of Nursing.

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Karen Foli, 765-494-4023, kfoli@purdue.edu

PHOTO: Karen Foli – http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/2010/foli-k10.jpg

Abstract on the research in this release is available at: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2012/120322FoliResearch.html

Emi from Kazakhstan and Miya from Japan bake up a storm in the Williams Sonoma catalog:

Watch for our announcement – Kazakhstan expected to re-open soon!

VAST GROUP OF ADOPTION ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORT PRESIDENT’S PROPOSAL TO EXTEND THE ADOPTION TAX CREDIT

Washington, D.C. – A broad group of adoption organizations from all sectors of adoption—including foster care, international and private—join together in thanking President Obama for his recent proposal to make the U.S. federal adoption tax credit permanent. The President’s Fiscal Year 2013 federal budget puts forth a proposal to make the adoption tax credit permanent and extend the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that make the credit refundable for 2012 and 2013. The refundable aspect is vital to some families’ ability to access the credit and there is broad support for ensuring that all families that adopt are able to benefit equally.

More than thirty different organizations, some of which are membership umbrella organizations that represent additional adoption agencies, have come together to support the President’s adoption tax credit proposal, which will help families offset the cost of adoption or assist parents as they address the ongoing demands of caring for children with special needs. We have several stories that stress the importance of the tax credit’s existence for families.

The adoption tax credit is a critical support for families who chose to form their families through adoption. The diverse groups that support the extension of the tax credit are working together to encourage members of Congress to move this from a proposal to tangible legislation. If Congress does not act to extend the credit, it will only be available to a limited number of families after 2012.

Adoption is a bipartisan issue; in fact ever since the adoption credit was first established in 1996, Congress has acted to extend this credit every time it was set to expire. However, because the credit has changed several times and is frequently up for discussion, it leaves room for great confusion and uncertainty about the availability of the credit among key stakeholders, including professionals, parents, and tax preparers. Having a permanent credit in place will help eliminate future confusion.

“We are all pleased to be working together, with a unified voice, to advocate for the needs of families that choose to adopt. We look forward to building the support on Capitol Hill to ensure that all families that adopt children have access to this benefit long term,” says Nicole Dobbins, Executive Director of Voice for Adoption.

The organizations that signed onto the letter thanking the President are:

Academy of California Adoption Lawyers

Academy of California Family Formation Lawyers

American Academy of Adoption Attorneys

California Alliance of Children and Family Services

Center for Adoption Support and Education

Center for Adoption Policy

Child Welfare League of America

Children’s Action Network

Children’s Home Society of North Carolina

Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families

Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute

Families for Private Adoption

Family Design Resources

Family and Youth Initiative

Gladney Center for Adoption

Holt International Children’s Services

Joint Council on International Children’s Services

Kinship Center, a member of Seneca Family of Agencies

Lilliput Children’s Services

Mission Focused Solutions

National Adoption Center

National Council for Adoption

North American Council on Adoptable Children

North West Adoption Exchange

New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

Show Hope

Three Rivers Adoption Council

Voice for Adoption

PEAR has received numerous reports from adopting families and NGOs on the ground in Uganda regarding unethical conduct by adoption agencies, adopting families, and local facilitators and officials in Uganda. Due to the seriousness of these reports, the rapid increase in interest in adoption from this country, and the continued abuses of the adoption process in Uganda, it is PEAR’s recommendation that families looking to adopt ethically do not initiate adoption from Uganda at this time.

We also call on the governments of Uganda and the United States to investigate allegations of corruption thoroughly and take any and all measures necessary to address these issues with honesty and transparency in order to protect Ugandan children and families as well as US citizen prospective adoptive families.

Ethical concerns include:

1. Reports that US adoption agencies are making donations to existing orphanages to thwart efforts at family reunification;
2. Reports of harvesting of children from intact families in order to provide more “adoptable” children for intercountry adoption (children screened for suitable health, gender, and age);
3. Reports of extensive bribes paid to local officials by US adoption agencies and/or their local facilitators;
4. Reports of bribes paid to local officials by US adopting families;
5. Failure of the Ugandan government and US government to demonstrate a commitment to transparency and honesty in addressing concerns over the slowing of the process for approving Ugandan passports for adopted children;
6. Recent reports that US adopting families are being advised to take children into Kenya for processing Ugandan passport applications. We are concerned about this practice and the possible repercussions of US citizens flying undocumented children across international borders.

PEAR continues to monitor adoption from Uganda and will update our recommendations when believe adequate controls have been put into place to ensure ethical adoptions.

Article from http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2012/03/pear-ethics-alert-on-adoption-from.html