NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF INTERETHNIC ADOPTION OF MEXICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN

This article identifies concerns about four possible negative outcomes of interethnic adoption involving Mexican American children and non-M exican American parents. A sample of 861 Mexican Americans age 18 or o lder were asked whether they agreed or disagreed that four outcomes re sults from interethnic adoption: (1) The child may have an ethnic iden tity conflict, (2) the child may forget his or her Latino background, (3) the child's participation in Latino cultural events may be limited , and (4) the child may not acquire the sills to cope with racism. Res pondents' agreement with the likelihood of these outcomes was associat ed with a belief in the importance of structural and cultural barriers preventing Latinos from adopting; with higher levels of participation in Mexican American cultural events; and with income, education, and acculturation. However, agreement that the outcomes were likely did no t necessarily reflect approval or disapproval of interethnic adoption. Suggestions are made for future research on Mexican American children adopted by non-Mexican American parents.