Adoption and mental health: a theoretical critique of the psychopathological model.
The extant research on adoption and mental health is reviewed, and an alternative interactionist perspective is offered that acknowledges the social embeddedness of experiences of adoption and infertility. While cultural factors enter into the etiology and medical definition of all mental health problems, the particular importance of considering cultural components when addressing the needs of individuals who hold a stigmatized social status is emphasized.
Wegar
K
K
Department of Sociology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, USA.
D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010553:Personality Development; D011599:Psychopathology