The Role of Developmental Comprehension in Understanding Microaggressions
Conveyed by Transracially-Adopted Children
The Tufts University Adoption and Development Project
Anthony M. DeBenedetto; Ellen E. Pinderhughes, Ph.D.
Introduction
 Transracial adoptees (TRAs) typically experience challenges in the
development of identity
 TRAs often experience bias in the form of microaggressions
(MAs): daily verbal, behavioral or environmental messages,
intentional or unintentional that communicate hostile or negative
slights or insults (Sue et at., 2007) that may affect their selfperception
 TRAs experience both racial microaggressions (RMAs) and
adoption microaggressions (AMAs) (Baden, 2016) from an early
age, and may repeat them without fully comprehending the
impact of these messages.
 Children’s cognitive capacities affect their ability to comprehend
complexities associated with adoption (Brodzinsky et. al., 1984)
and racial difference, therefore, as children age, the frequency
and content of the microaggressions internalized/conveyed may
change.
 TRAs in the same adoptive family may convey similar MAs due to
a similar experiences of cultural and adoption socialization.
Methods
 Data was taken from a larger sample (The Tufts Adoption and
Development Project) in which TRAs were interviewed about
topics of race and adoption.
 TRAs ages 4-11 (M=7.95, SD=1.82) were included in this study if
they were a part of a sibling dyad (N=14).
 Interviews were coded to identify both experienced and
internalized/conveyed AMAs and RMAs when children’s
discourse contained bias.
 Data were analyzed for trends in cognitive developmental age.
7 children ages 4-7(M= 6.54, SD=0.96) and 7 children ages 8-11
(M=9.36, SD=1.26) were analyzed as preoperational (PO) and
concrete-operational (CO) (Piaget, 1952) respectively for trends
in internalized/conveyed MAs.
 7 sibling dyads were included in the sample. Families were
included in the sibling analysis if they had 1 child in each PO
and CO developmental stage (n=5)
Common Adoption Microaggressions
Example
Definition
"they might want a child and they can't have one in their
Biology is best/
tummy"
normative
"children are place for adoption-sometimes parents cannot
Shameful/ inadequate
take care of their children… they could be on drugs…the
birth parents
father leaves the house"
[adoption] sort of meants you have to sign a lot of papers
Phantom birth parents
and then… they get a baby at the orphanage"
Commerce in adoption
Possible discomfort in
talking about adoption
"[adopted mother] says 'can I please have this baby?' and
[biological mother] says 'give me 10 hundred bucks'"
Sometimes I don't like talking about [adoption]
Results
Discussion
Total Sample
 Children averaged more internalized/conveyed
MAs than experienced MAs
5.00
m=4.50
SD=1.99
4.50
Average Number of MAs
m=3.93
SD=0.75
4.00
 Children experienced and
internalized/conveyed more AMAs than RMAs
3.50
3.00
2.50
 Common AMAs internalized/conveyed
included:
• biology is best/normative
• Shameful/inadequate birth parent
• phantom birth parents
• commerce in adoption
• possible discomfort with talking about
adoption
By Age Group
 CO children internalized/conveyed more AMAs
than PO children

CO children internalized/conveyed fewer
RMAs than PO children
 CO children notably conveyed more:
• biology is best/normative
• Shameful/inadequate birth parent
• phantom birth parent
• possible discomfort with talking about
adoption
Sibling Dyads
CO children internalized/conveyed more total
AMAs (m=5, SD=1.87) than their PO siblings
(m=3.4, SD=0.55)
 TRAs may internalize and convey more AMAs than RMAs
because of higher awareness due to greater racial socialization
than adoption socialization.
• Increased adoption socialization and education may
increase adoptees’ understanding of adoption, thus
decreasing number of AMAs conveyed.
2.00
1.50
m=0.57
SD= 1.40
1.00
m=0.36
SD=0.74
0.50
m=0.57
SD=0.76
m=0.50
SD-1.40
0.00
Experienced MAs
7.00
Internalized/Conveyed MAs
 TRAs possible discomfort with talking about adoption may be
lessened through family socialization and discussion.
Average Internalized/Conveyed MAs by Age Group
m=5.86
SD=3.27
6.00
5.00
m=4.57
SD=1.71
m=4.29
SD=1.35
4.00
Limitations
m=3.29
SD=0.76
 Limited sample size to only include sibling dyads
3.00
 Only 5/7 families included siblings of different developmental
level
2.00
m=0.67
SD=0.78
1.00
m=0.44
SD=0.78
0.00
Preoperational
Concrete Operational
Average Internalized or Conveyed MAs per Child
Average Internalized/Conveyed AMAs per Child
Average Internalized/Conveyed RMAs per Child
8
 Further studies to examine a wider range of ages of TRAs and
MAs
• Including adolescents, adults
Internalized/Conveyed AMAs by Family (total number)
7
7
7
6
4
4
3
3
4
3
4
4
3
3
2
CO children internalized/conveyed “Phantom
birth parent” AMAs
• more times in 2 families
• fewer times in 1 family
• an equal number for 1 family
CO children internalized/conveyed “Biology is
best/normative” AMAs
• more times in 4 families
• an equal number in 1 family
CO children internalized/conveyed “Possible
discomfort in talking about adoption” AMAs
• more times in 1 family
• an equal number for 1 family
• fewer times for 3 families
1
0
Family 1
Family 2
Family 3
Preoperational Child
2.5
Family 5
2
Concrete Operational Child
References
Baden, A.L. (2016). “Do you know your real parents?” and other adoption
microaggressions. Adoption Quarterly 19(1), 1-25.
Brodzinsky, D.M., Singer, L.M., & Braff, A.M. (1984). Children’s understanding of
adoption. Child Development, 55(3), 869-878.
Piaget, J., & Cook, M.T. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. New York,
NY: International University Press.
Sue, D.W., Capodilupo, C.M., Torino, G.C., Bucceri, J.M., Holder, A.M.B., Nadal,
K.L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life:
Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286
2
1.5
1
1
1
1
Acknowledgements
0.5
0
 Further studies with a larger samples that specifically examine
TRAs’ families and sibling dyads:
•Effects of family adoption socialization and discussion on
internalized/conveyed AMAs
•environmental adoption socialization/education on
internalized/conveyed AMAs
•Patterns of AMAs within sibling dyads
Family 7
Internalized/Conveyed RMAs by Family (total number)
2
 Does not include other developmental levels (formal
operational, adulthood) due to study constraints
Future Directions
5
 CO children internalized/conveyed a comparable
number of RMAs (m=0.6, SD=0.89) as their PO
siblings (m=0.8, SD=0.84)
 Adoption is a multifactorial entity with many components,
including adoptive and birth families, and financial
transactions.
• CO children have a greater adoption vocabulary
(Brodzinksy, 1984), than their PO counterparts, but lack
the abstract thinking to consider all of the complexities of
adoption process,
• Thus, CO children may convey more complex AMAs by
only considering one aspect of adoption
0
0
Family 1
0
Family 2
Preoperational Child
Family 3
0
Family 5
Concrete Operational Child
0
Family 7
Funded by: William T. Grant Foundation and Tufts University
Thank you to the participating families, without whom this research would not be
possible