South African Parents’ Attitudes Toward Cultural and Racial Socialization of Their Transracially Adopted Children

Abstract Transracial adoption (TRA) in South Africa is a relatively young practice due to the legacy of Apartheid and continued racial segregation. As such, little research has explored TRA family experiences in South Africa. Experts worldwide agree that TRA parents need to engage their children in racial and cultural socialization. To explore parental attitudes toward the cultural and racial socialization of their TRA children, this study adopted a mixed-method approach. First, 76 TRA parents completed the Transracial Adoption Parenting Scale. Second, using Vonk’s (2001) three-part definition of TRA parent cultural competence, 35 TRA parents were interviewed regarding their racial awareness, multicultural planning, and imparting of survival skills to their adopted children. Findings are discussed along with implications for educating potential TRA parents of the importance of racial/cultural socialization of transracial adoptees.