Biological and Environmental Factors Affecting Adopted Children from Developing Countries
Adoption is a process where a person or family takes over the right of raising a child through legal means from the previous guardians. Adoption of children from developing countries to developed countries falls under international adoption, which is in itself adoption across national borders. Usually, adopting kids from developing countries is a laborious process. The potential parents make numerous trips overseas to complete the legal process, which involves a licensed adoption agency as well as many government agencies from both countries.
The bioecological theory by Bronfenbrenner states that human development goes through complex interactions among biopsychosocial human beings and that individual’s objects, symbols and systems within the individual’s proximity. When a child is removed from his previous environment to a new one, his body will have to adapt to fit well in the new adaptation. Biological differences between the child and the adopted parents mean that the child will grow differently in some aspects. He will however adapt slowly with time. This is evidenced in children who are adopted from families where they were many and shared everything to an environment where he/she practically has his own room and shares nothing. They will tend to feel lonely in their new environments, before getting used to it.
Usually, kids from abusive, neglectful homes find it rough in their development. For example, an African child who is dark skinned in color being adopted by a white Caucasian family will feel like a sore thumb due to his color pigmentation. In addition, the child will tend to develop either faster or slower depending on the country of origin. Such factors will greatly influence a child’s development and his physical growth. The child will have to take a while before catching up with the rest of his peers, or will develop much faster at the new country.
