The hole in my heart is closing: Indigenous relative reunification identity verification.

Objective: The current study explored the experience of reunification as place identity verification for Indigenous individuals who were fostered/adopted as youth.

Background: Research on reunification tends to focus on disproportionality in child welfare and the factors associated with reunification. Few studies focus on experiences of reunification among Indigenous individuals including their perceptions and comprehensions about the reunification experience.

Method: Data from 70 fostered/adopted Indigenous individuals that reunified during adulthood were analyzed from the Experiences of Adopted and Fostered Individuals Project. Inductive thematic analysis was used to examine open-ended survey data about experience of reunification.

Results: Three themes inductively emerged including: (1) relative reunification, (2) perceptions about reunification, and (3) comprehensions about reunification. During relative reunification, participants reunified with parent(s), extended caregiver(s), grandparent(s), sibling(s), cousin(s), niece(s)/nephew(s), and tribe. Participant's perceptions about reunification included happiness, relief, anger, mourning, and anxiety/excitement. Participant's comprehensions about reunification related to belonging, sense of place, history/heritage, healing, and resemblance. All five functions of place identity verification were met in reunification according to the Indigenous participant's voices.

Conclusions: This study explored the experience of relative reunification of Indigenous individuals who were separated from their families of origin during childhood by foster care and adoption.