A Scoping Review and a Critical Analysis of the International Adoption Research Field in the Social Sciences

Abstract Many researchers study international adoption. However, to date, no systematic analysis has been conducted to characterize this field in the social sciences, in terms of disciplinary origins, methodological approaches and theories used. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain an overall picture of basic trends and of marginal or even incomplete ones. This situation can slow down the development of knowledge regarding international adoption. Our scoping review is based on a systematic survey of studies published from 2000 to 2019 (n = 164). The results demonstrate that: (1) researchers specialized in psychology dominate this field of study; (2) the quantitative approach is most widely used; and (3) cognitive-behavioral, ethnic and racial identity as well as attachment theories are the main perspectives adopted. This article concludes by discussing the consequences of this situation, as well as relevant avenues for further research.