“There may be a genetic tendency …”: How adoptive parents understand and communicate about substance use and risk behaviors with their adolescent children

Abstract

For adoptive parents, evaluating their children’s potential for risk-taking behaviors, such as substance use, may be complicated by both known and unknown elements of their children’s background, which may impact their children’s risk profile. Grounded in a framework that integrates concepts of uncertainty management and communicative openness, this study explores how 68 adoptive parents (25 lesbian mothers, 20 gay fathers, and 23 heterosexual parents) understand, and communicate with their early adolescent children about, such risks. Our qualitative analysis revealed that parents’ concerns related to their children’s substance abuse potential were often grounded in awareness of genetic risk factors and prenatal substance exposure, as well as their children’s mental health challenges and adoption-related loss. Parents articulated a variety of ways that they addressed risk-taking with their children, which ranged from instructive and information-focused to supportive approaches. Findings highlight how adoptive parents balance honesty about risks with fostering their children’s self-esteem and positive identity development. This study illuminates the complexities of adoptive parenting in terms of managing uncertainty and promoting adolescent well-being, and underscores the role of open and ongoing communication and emotional attunement in navigating these challenges.