Psychology Commons^™

Contextual Diversity And Microaggressions In The Lives Of Transracially-Adopted Children From China, Emily Zhang, Xian Zhang, Ellen E. Pinderhughes

Rudd Adoption Research Program Annual Conferences

A large proportion of transracially-adopted (TRA) children experience challenges related to their ethnic and racial identity alongside their adoptive status (Baden, 2015). TRA adoptees grow up in a different country and family from their culture of origin, which may be a barrier to opportunities to learn about their race. Therefore, it is critical to study factors that may contribute to a TRA child’s understanding of race and adoption. Microaggressions are particularly concerning in young children because these subtle messages may influence a child’s understanding of their race at an age when they are unable to fully understand social categorization and …