Longing to belong: The ambiguous loss of Indigenous fostered/adopted individuals.

Background: Indigenous fostered/adopted individuals report high levels of grief because of their foster care/adoption. Little has been done, however, to explore how grief is experienced and the factors that contribute to said grief for fostered/adopted Indigenous individuals.

Objective: This study examined the experiences of loss and grief of Indigenous individuals fostered/adopted during childhood.

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.

I can still hear my baby crying: The ambiguous loss of American Indian/Alaska Native birthmothers.

This study captures the experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native birthmothers who lost a child to adoption and the impact of said loss on their health and wellbeing. Few studies examine the loss experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native birthmothers despite their increased probability to lose a child to foster care and adoption. American Indian/Alaska Native birthmothers are distinct from birthmothers of other races in their experiences of intergenerational and historical child loss, having disproportionately lost their children to systematic practices of child removal via boarding schools, the adoption era, and child welfare.

Abuse after abuse: The recurrent maltreatment of American Indian children in foster care and adoption.

Background: While maltreated children are at risk for recurrent maltreatment, less is known about the maltreatment recurrence of American Indian children in foster and adoptive homes.

Objective: This study examined the recurrent maltreatment of American Indian children in foster and adoptive homes, specifically the physical, emotional, sexual, and spiritual abuse subtypes, as well as poly-victimization of American Indian children in comparison to their White peers.

Participants And Setting: Data originated from the Experiences of Adopted and Fostered Individuals Project.